‘Manhunt: Unabomber’ Defies Expectations

Director Greg Yaitanes and actors Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany breathe tremendous life and intrigue into Manhunt: Unabomber.

Director Greg Yaitanes quickly and quietly amassed an impressive body of work among dozens of high-profile television shows. His efficient, thoughtful style graced such major television series as Lost, Damages, Prison Break, and House, M.D. for which he won an Emmy®. I was also a big fan of his work on last year's criminally underrated Quarry. This year, he directs the entire season of Discovery's Manhunt: Unabomber. As with the bulk of his work, Yaitanes shepherds the series with intelligence and focus. In the end, it completely defies all expectations that audiences may have of a Ted Kaczynski dramatization and delivers a compellingly detailed exploration of the hunt for the Unabomber.

Manhunt: Unabomber operates on two main time lines. First, it follows FBI profiler Jim Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington, far beyond his Avatar days) as he returns to the Unabomber case following a self-imposed exile. Fitzgerald agrees to interview Kaczynski (the great Paul Bettany) with the object of obtaining a confession. To understand Fitzgerald's fragile mental state, we flashback to his earlier involvement in the long-term manhunt. The mini-series effectively dramatizes how FBI profiling techniques and Fitzgerald's passion for linguistics led to Kaczynski's capture.

That linguistics and strong police work resonate so effectively is a credit to Yaitanes and series creator Andrew Sodroski. Unabomber efficiently echoes 1986's Manhunter and, to an extent, 1991's Silence of the Lambs, although it is hardly as graphic as the latter. It also recalls the extensive love for detail of David Fincher's great Zodiac. Here, the thrills thrive in the details. In the procedure. And it's all brilliantly rendered without extravagant flourishes. This series excels because it realizes intelligence and detail can be sexy too. Well, at least to me, anyway.

Sam Worthington as Fitzgerald has frankly never been better in my eyes. He plays the FBI profiler as a spectrum-tinged agent. He barely regards his superiors in the eyes as he loses himself in the details of the case. Worthington creates an exceedingly well-rounded character that almost stands toe-to-toe against the brilliance of Paul Bettany's Ted Kaczynski. Bettany digs into Kaczynski with an eerie calm and intensity. He's not exactly the first actor you'd immediately consider for the role, but having seen the 2-hour pilot, I can't imagine anyone else in the role. Not quite referencing Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, Bettany nonetheless registers that performance's love for the quiet intensity in a casual conversation between adversaries. It's an astounding, towering performance. When the Emmy dust settles next year, strongly consider Bettany for Lead Actor in a Limited Series. Also have a look at Jane Lynch, perfectly cast as Attorney General Janet Reno.

But none of this would register quite as strongly without the steady-handed direction of Greg Yaitanes. He knows the power of great characters. He's not afraid to stand aside and let the actors do their work. As a result, Manhunt: Unabomber emerges as a very early candidate for one of the best Limited Series of Emmy Year 2018.

Manhunt: Unabomber airs tonight on Discovery. Check local listings.