Lee Eisenberg
Andrei Chikatilo was a serial killer in the Soviet Union. Over the course of twelve years, he murdered 52 women and children in the Russian, Ukrainian and Uzbek SSRs. Chris Gerolmo's "Citizen X" focuses on a coroner's investigation into the murders and the government's refusal to report on the murders, since they didn't want to have to admit that there was crime in the USSR (supposedly, such things only existed in the west). Stephen Rea plays the overworked coroner, and Donald Sutherland plays the head of a provincial committee charged with law enforcement, but the movie really belongs to Jeffrey DeMunn as the murderer. He portrays Chikatilo as a disturbed, lonely individual who just happened to be a remorseless killer. One could almost feel sorry for him, were he not a monster.I recommend the movie. It's a safe bet that everyone in the Soviet Union breathed a sigh of relief after that fiend got arrested. The rest of the cast includes Max von Sydow, Joss Ackland, John Wood (Prof. Falken in "WarGames") and Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies).Another movie about Andrei Chikatilo is 2004's "Evilenko", starring Malcolm McDowell as a fictionalized version of him.
maggiemaggamuff-69556
I won't give any spoilers for this amazing film, but I'll say that if you have never seen Stephen Rea before, you'll really appreciate him as an actor in this particular film. I've seen him in a few films in the past, and always appreciated his work but somehow this gem of a film slipped by me until just now. He's simply stellar, and that puts it mildly. His input truly allows the viewer to experience his character's empathy. He should be given more parts in other films, I'd personally like to see him a lot more often. Anyway.. HE is the reason this movie is so excellent as it is. The film it's self, I give 9 stars. It was well written and directed. If you like thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, this is one for you. My taste in films is rather scattered and eclectic, and there are a few that stand out as timeless and I want to watch them again and again. This is one of those films.
djderka
What is is brilliant about this story is the persistence of the lead detective to find the killer.Interestingly the Commissar said that 'there are no killers in the Soviet Union, that is in decadent western societies" Of course we all get the point. But here in the mid-west in a college town in a lefty book store of the the owners actually said that crime in America is because they are a capitalistic empire. Some left wing ideas never die.Now, back to the movie, it was great and the quips by the Colonel and his astute observations or Soviet society were appro. In fact, most Russians found ways to work outside the system.But my favorite scene was when they caught Chilikto He is in a park and children are playing the the plain clothes police come up on him from the sides, front and back and tell him to 'keep walking'.. One of the most brilliant arrests I have ever seein. The opposite of course of our cops yelling for him to get on the ground and every manner of gun pointed at him.Great film.
SnoopyStyle
It's 1982 in Soviet Russia. A serial killer is on the loose but few people care when a dumping ground of 8 bodies is found in the woods. Col. Mikhail Fetisov (Donald Sutherland) puts Viktor Burakov (Stephen Rea) in charge of the investigation despite being only a forensics man. He discovers 7 more bodies in the records of the previous incompetent investigator. Secretary of Ideology Bondarchuk (Joss Ackland) claims that there are no serial killers in the Soviet state since it's a decadent western phenomenon. Burakov is opposed by entrenched ideology, corruption and incompetence. Bondarchuk brings in Gorbunov (John Wood) from Moscow to lead the investigation and hunt down homosexuals. The killer is actually a nobody Andrei Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn) who hunts along the train lines. In 1984, Burakov catches him at a train station but the blood test comes back negative and Bondarchuk gets him out as a good party member. With unending support of his wife (Imelda Staunton), Fetisov, psychiatrist Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky (Max von Sydow) and finally Perestroika, Burakov is able to catch Chikatilo in 1990.This is made with superior actors and a fascinating story. It's a great different side of a police procedural. Things don't go their way. The killer isn't caught after a short investigation. The beauty of the movie is Burakov's relentless pursuit. He won't give up despite having little support. Stephen Rea is impressive with a human performance and great supporting actors. The FBI story is heart wrenching. This is a superior TV movie.
AD
