Chikatilo

I wanted to watch the "Chikatilo", because the real story of the famous maniac made a lot of noise in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. The real Andrey Chikatilo killed more than 50 people and was getting away with justice for more than 10 years...

Now all the details and facts of the investigation of that case are in our hands thanks to the director Sarik Andreasyan, who, in my opinion, shot his most interesting project in his entire career. And despite the fact that Andreasyan's filmography hasn't had dramatic crime thrillers before, he did his job perfectly.

The plot is conventionally divided into two parts. In the first one, there's an investigation by Colonel Kesaev and Captain Vitvitsky. In another one, we are introduced to Chikatilo himself. This guy looks modest and quiet, but it's just a superficial judgment. In fact, he is a real beast who must be judged with the utmost rigor.

This story is gripping from the very first episode. There is a well-developed plot, beautiful, authentic shooting, as well as strong acting. So, if possible, be sure to watch Chikatilo. You need to know the psychology of a maniac.

A lot of criticism was poured out on this series, due to various circumstances. Someone expected action, and someone did not like the artistic deviations from the actual events (the story of Chikatilo for those who do not know yet, ended only less than 30 years ago). But taking the genre in which the creators filmed this story, I want to say that they succeeded - a high-quality embodiment of the plot. And it is in this genre and in no other. If the director had made a bet not on the investigation, but on the crimes themselves, as many viewers craved, it would have turned out a completely different movie, more terrible than any Hollywood horror. And it's a good thing that didn't happen.

As for the game of Dmitry Nagiyev - this is one of his best reincarnations (something even reminded him of his character from "Careful, Modern"). Of course, it is noticeable that the image was made as pathetic as possible, different from the same criminal even from the photos. In artistic terms, this does not cause outrage, because we are talking here, to put it mildly, far from an outstanding person.

The fact that there will be a second season, the guess came only in the last episode. It seems to me that according to the documentary sources, the senior lieutenant did not ring his doorbell... And the search will continue in season 2.

The movie is just a mix of different clichés, the picture, and some USSR stuff - not bad, the actors' acting is hell.

An ordinary run-of-the-mill on a hot topic. The plot is weak, the acting is disgusting. And all the more, the director's work is worth little if he cannot express the tension without the Russian swear words.

I don't know where to begin. There are so many good things about this show and just a few nuansences.

Chikatilo was the most notorious, infamous serial killer in soviet Russia. He killed and tortured countless people.

This is a story about a him, the killer, but here he is portrayed as a menace one step before all who try to catch him. The short instances when we see the killer are captivating and disgusting at the same time. The antagonist is portrayed by Nagiev - a famous russian actor and celebrity. He usually plays "bad guys" in Russian media, however here he plays a smart, yet dysfunctional, damaged man, driven by urges.

The rest of the cast is solid also, consisting of known russian actors, all of whom did a fantastic job.

There are a few nuansences of this movie that can be criticized: There are a few scenes where minor characters criticize "germans" or "the western powers" for either killing, raping people and harvesting their organs (as a conspiracy theory) - I find inclusion of such minor aspects interesting, as it indicates the friction between Soviet Russia and the West and is a nice touch.

The show also portrays the friction between local (Rostov) police operatives and their Moscow counterparts, which is one of the primary plot lines in Chikatilo.

Overall, it is a hidden gem, something that deserves to be shown to international audiences. It is not for the faint of heart, but it's been a while since I have seen a show of such a high production value made in Russia, as the whole industry was focused on production of low quality flicks.

With a proper voice over, this could be and should be an international hit. Wow.