Russell Crowe’s Real Life CIA Thriller Officially Beats 10/10 Tom Cruise Sequel on Netflix

Russell Crowe’s films have lately not seen the success the Australian actor was used to during his Gladiator era, but his latest Netflix release might just put him on top again. Unabomber, a fictionalized look at domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski’s Harvard years, has reached number one on Netflix’s streaming charts, going past Tom Cruise’s blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick.

The film sees Crowe play a professor, Henry Murray, who interviews Kaczynski as part of a psychological experiment and gets to know his personal beliefs and his anti-industrialization stance. While the film is not a critical darling, it seems to have gotten the attention of Netflix viewers and has remained in the charts since its debut on September 25, 2026.

Russell Crowe’s Unabomber Dominates Netflix Despite Mixed Reviews

Russell Crowe in Unabomber | Credits: Netflix

While Russell Crowe has been part of some incredible box office blockbusters, Unabomber is one of the few films of his that has been released directly on streaming. There is no box office yardstick for the film’s success, so the streaming charts are the only measure. And with that, the movie is a hit. On FlixPatrol’s US chart for September 28, it holds first place, while Top Gun: Maverick sits third.

Critics, however, are another story. The film has received a rotten 20% score from critics on the Tomatometer. Audiences have been a bit kinder, but the score still stands at 44% (via RT). Many have criticized the weak and sensationalized storytelling, while others have questioned the authenticity of the events shown in the movie. The praise goes to the performances. Crowe and Jacob Tremblay drew consistent credit, while the FBI manhunt half took most of the criticism.

So, then why is it such a hit that it even beat out Tom Cruise’s biggest blockbuster? A couple of reasons may be the case. One obvious answer is that it is the new thing on the streamer. Top Gun: Maverick dropped on Netflix on September 22, while Unabomber came out on September 25, on a Friday, right on time for a weekend binge.

While Russell Crowe may not be the biggest star now, he still pulls audiences in. Not many know Ted Kaczynski’s Harvard years, and the movie fills in a key gap in the popular story about the terrorist. Moreover, true crime is home turf for Netflix. With Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story dropping just eight years ago, viewers are primed for it already. Finally, the shorter runtime (it is only 100 minutes long) may have led viewers to try it out, despite reviews and scores.

What is the Real Story Behind Crowe’s Unabomber Movie?

Jacob Tremblay in Unabomber | Credits: Netflix

Russell Crowe’s Unabomber is based on the life of Ted Kaczynski, the domestic terrorist and mathematician who evaded the authorities for two whole decades before being caught at the end of the ‘90s. The film follows his time at Harvard at the age of 16 (he was a prodigy) and the psychological experiments he participated in by Henry Murray.

While Kaczynski did take part in the real Henry Murray’s experiments, the extent to which the experiments actually shaped his future activities is debatable. Much of his Harvard files are classified, and there is no actual evidence that proves that the experiments affected his mental state to a degree where Murray’s confrontational interviews caused him to become more isolated (via Time Magazine). The CIA connection is another place where the filmmakers have taken some liberties.

Unabomber takes some cinematic liberties with Murray and Kaczynski’s relationship. Murray was not his mentor, and the Unabomber did not take revenge on him (via The Tab). The effect of Murray’s experiments on Kaczynski’s targeting of academics is largely speculated, and there is no proof of it, despite Murray’s experiments later being deemed unethical.

Overall, the film is a semi-real account of what happened, and takes plenty of cinematic liberties with the source material. Even the makers told Time Magazine that part of why they were interested in the project was because there were gaps in the story and they took a cinematic approach to fill them.

What do you think of Russell Crowe’s Unabomber? Comment below.