Fine performances by both Stephen Rea and Donald Sutherland propel this excellent direct-to-video drama, based on a true story, of how two Red Army officers hunt down a serial killer responsible for the murders of 52 people, 35 of whom were 16 years old or younger.
In 1982, newly-appointed forensic expert Burakov (Rea) investigates a body found in the woods of rural Russia--only to discover seven more clumsily-hidden corpses, all similarly murdered and disfigured, apparently after being sexually molested. Searching through his predecessor's files, Burakov
discovers evidence of eight previous murders, indicating the work of a serial killer. However, when Burakov presents this evidence to his supervising committee, headed by regional secretary Bondarchuk (Joss Ackland), he is told that "there are no serial killers in the Soviet state," and that such
a thing is purely "a western phenomenon." Appalled by the secretary's myopic stance, Burakov continues his investigations; he is aided only by a single committee member, Colonel Fetisov (Sutherland), who is determined to straddle the fence between legal and moral justice and loyalty to the
Communist party.
For eight years, Burakov searches for the killer with Fetisov's help, although requests for publicity and manpower are routinely denied. At one point, Burakov decides to enlist the aid of a psychiatrist--an unprecedented act in Russian criminology--and convinces one professor, Bukhanovsky (Max von
Sydow), to create a psychological profile of the killer. Only when the grip of the Communist party loosens in 1990 does Burakov finally get the resources he so desperately needs; in November of that year, he and his men pinpoint the killer, Andre Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn), a factory worker who
preys upon young vagrants and runaways in train stations. With the help of psychiatrist Bukhanovsky, the authorities extract a confession from Chikatilo, who is found guilty and executed.
Writer-director Chris Gerolmo gives us a solid crime docudrama that compares favorably to such fictional predecessors as SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Burakov, played with convincing passion by Rea, struggles with equal valor against both the killer and the Communist party's roadblocks. (For example, at
one point in 1984, Chikatilo is actually arrested by Burakov, but because his blood type does not match semen found on the bodies, he is released. It is now suspected that, because Chikatilo was a Party member, the test results were doctored in Moscow to facilitate his release). The only
disappointment is that, while we see the killer's grisly methods, we're not given much insight into his motivations until almost the very last scene, when Bukhanovsky reads aloud the killer's psychological profile. Still, CITIZEN X stands as yet another example of the high-quality motion pictures
being showcased by HBO Pictures. (Graphic violence, sexual situations, adult situations, profanity.) leave a comment
