User reviews

I remember following the case of Andre Chicatillo in the newspapers while I was living in South Africa. They had photos of him sitting in his cage while being prosecuted in court. Not, as it turned out, to protect the court members, but to protect him from the public. This was fascinating, albeit morbid, reading. I later heard that a film had been made by HBO about the case, but it was made for American TV. Bummed! Strangely, CITIZEN X got a limited cinematic release in South Africa. I charged down to the local Ster Kinekor complex and duly bought a ticket (I was alone; my girlfriend at the time was only interested in the likes of STEEL MAGNOLIAS and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES). Wow! What a brilliant film. Why wasn't it released to a wider audience? Had it not been made for TV, it could have got an Oscar nomination or 2. There is no way to spoil the ending; who the killer is is never kept from the audience. Jeffrey DeMunn portrays a truly terrifying psycho. He is calm, downtrodden, considered a failure by his wife and subjected to constant ridicule and humiliation by his superiors at work. By committing these horrendous acts, he gets to feel strong, powerful.

Fighting to catch him against all odds is a pathologist, played to excellent turn by Stephen Rea, in one of his strongest performances. He must battle the snail-pace of Russian bureaucracy, the primitive resources he has at his disposal and (above all) the refusal by his superiors to acknowledge that the USSR even has a serial killer. The general in charge (Joss Ackland) says that serial killers are "a decadent, Western phenomenon". Only Donald Sutherland is willing to help, but his help must be under the counter. The ever-brilliant Max Von Sydow plays a Russian psychiatrist who breaks protocol and decides to help the investigators in their quest. It is the first time in Russian history that a shrink is used to build a profile of a serial killer still on the loose, and he has everything to lose if his involvement is made public.

CITIZEN X is brilliantly acted, well written and the music and editing only add to the tension and theme of the film. Excellent support from a horribly underused Imelda Staunton and a real sense of impending doom make CITIZEN X a film worth seeing. This was too good to be made for TV

"Citizen X" tells the story of "The Butcher of Rostov", nickname for a heinous and perverse Russian serial killer who claimed 52 lives from 1978-92. The film focuses on the novice detective (Rea) who doggedly pursued the killer against all odds in the face of an uncooperative bureaucracy in self-serving and convenient denial. An HBO product for t.v., the film offers a solid cast, good performances, spares the audience much of the grisly details, but plays out like a docudrama sans the stylistics of similar Hollywood fare. An even and straight-forward dramatization of a serious and comparatively little known story more interesting than "Jack the Ripper". (B)

Imagine being so hampered by a bureaucracy that a one man spends 8 year's of his life, and has a mental breakdown trying to solve a mass murder case virtually by himself! The murder technique is clear, but a government unwilling to admit the truth let's a monster destroy dozens of lives. When I think my job is stressful, I merely remember the true story behind this wonder flick. The devotion to duty of the main character was masterfully portrayed by Rea. The comic (and almost tragic at times) relationship between Rea and the Sutherland character made this one of my favorite movies of the last 5 years. The catching of one of the worst mass murderers in history had me on the edge of my seat. While not nearly as well advertised and talked about as "Silence of the Lamb's", the plot was just as suspenseful. Rent or buy this movie today!

Citizen X tells the story of Andrei Chikatilo, The Ripper of Rostov, who killed 52 people in 8 years time, mainly women and children. It shows how the investigation was obstructed by Soviet bureaucracy, how hard it was to investigate the crimes. It does the job in such a brilliant way that it will leave no-one untouched. In the beginning it's perhaps a little bit slow of pace, but it really grabs you as the story unfolds. I can only say that, next to "The Silence of the Lambs", this is by far the best movie about a serial killer I've ever seen.

It is very hard to say which actor's performance stands out above the rest in this movie. Stephen Rea is really brilliant as the inexperienced forensic expert who is put in charge of the investigation. Donald Sutherland's performance as his cynical superior, and the only person in the Russian government willing to help him, is as outstanding as Rea's. And what to say about Jeffrey DuMann, playing the serial killer? DuMann brilliantly created a character who inspires empathy rather than hatred. Yes, he is a monster, but he is also a sad figure, oppressed and ridiculed by his wife, his boss, his co-workers... He is tortured, ashamed, as well as extremely vicious.

I can only recommend this movie to everybody who's interested in a well-made docu-drama, where the actors are still more important than the special effects. It deserves at least a 9/10, perhaps even more if you ask me.

There are some excellent comments and observations on this film. I was pleased to note the comparisons to Fritz Lang's "M" (forget the 50's abortive remake with lightweight David Wayne). The real villain is not the tortured murderer (extraordinarily fine performance by Jeffery DeMunn), taking out his sexually frustrated anger on his victims-- mostly children. He is the objective. The real villain is the stifling bureaucratic Soviet system, drowning in its own corrupted incompetence. The frustration of an uncompromisingly dedicated man (Rea in his best role since "The Crying Game"), a facile pragmatist who's willing to use the system to his advantage (Sutherland always successful in this kind of role), a hesitant, frightened but determined psychiatrist (the incomparable Max Sydow), the bumbling, boopous bureaucrat of a prosecutor (brilliant Brit actor John Wood) and the quiet, supporting wife of the driven investigator (delightful supporter, Imelda Staunton). This is one damn fine film. Its darkness and bleakness are supported by the portrayal of a corrupt, incompetent system which works against success. The is no need to dip into gore-laden slice 'n dice sensationalism that has characterized so many recent films. Gore is present-- it's a ghastly story-- but it adds to the depicting of a pathologically twisted human being. The success of the story is precisely that: these were acts perpetrated by a person, a human like you or I. Where you and I choose to vent our frustration by reasonable means, Chikatilo took his anger out on the most innocent and vulnerable of us, our children. The superb premise of this story is made manifest by an equally superb cast of excellent actors. --sadly, I note that our Australian friend didn't like the speech and no doubt would have preferred to hear them speaking in Aussie dialect. Well, too bad. This fine film sure worked for me and everyone else I've talked with who has seen it.

People who liked Silence Of The Lambs need to watch this film because Andrei Chikatilo makes Hannibal Lector look like Donny Osmond. This is a horrifying true story to dwarf any fiction. HBO always makes the best films and it just doesn't get any better then this. Stephen Rea gave an outstanding performance as a dedicated policeman who realizes he will basically have to catch this monster by himself. He is no cardboard cut out but a human hero. There is one scene where he dreams of this brutal child killer and then it shows him weeping and embracing both of his children. You feel so bad for this poor man and so furious at the stupid government that wont even admit there is a serial killer in their midst. I couldn't believe that one scene where Joss Ackland's character says that serial killers are a decedent Western phenomenon. If they had only staked out those train stations like Rea's character wanted they could have caught this monster much sooner and saved many innocent people from the most horrible death you could imagine. Donald Sutherland is a great actor and he gives his best performance here in the way his character evolves and changes. He is very cynical to Burakov at first but then begins to share his anger and finally there is a bond of respect between them. I loved that scene at the end where he finally tells Burakov how much he respects him. Lets no forget Jeff Demunn as well, he was in another tv movie that appeared later in 1995 called Ebbie. He is chilling as this nerdy, weak-looking monster. He doesn't rate or rave but he is terrifying in creating evil. The scene at the end where Max Von Sydow's psychiatrist reads that profile to him is excellent. Just by the expression on his face you sense this mans anguish as he realizes he is the monster in the profile. There is one footnote I wanted to add that the movie did not mention. It makes it out like Chikatilo started killing in 1982. He killed a young girl in 1978 and confessed to it after his arrest. The Soviet police were horrified because they had already arrested, charged, tried, convicted and executed another man for the crime! Another innocent victim of this monster.

Chris Gerolmo took care not to simply give us a `Jack-the-stripper' type of list of murdered people: he delved into the psychological characterization with convincing results. Perhaps mostly due to Stephen Rea's excellent performance playing off against Donald Sutherland with good empathy by both. It was the playing of these two parts – above all – which made the film something more than just a morbid account of the history of the butcher of Rostov. Supporting actors, especially Max von Sydow, carried out their parts really well. Good directing. The photography was good too. Needless to say, the fact that the film was shot in Hungary was bound to produce a couple of aberrations, but, frankly, given the depth of the story-telling and interpretations, we can completely forget these little trivialia.

For once, a made for TV film from HBO has come up trumps. Recommended, especially if you like to analyse characteriology and forget some of the morbid scenes – which, I hasten to add, are never exaggerated.

I believe this is the most powerful film HBO Pictures has made to date. This film should have been released in theaters for the public to view on the big screen. It is available on video so make sure you look for it and check it out. Chris Gerolmo did a great job with the direction and the screenplay. The performances from Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland and Jeffery DeMunn are flawless. A masterpiece of the genre.

A serial killer keeps killing year after year. Burakov (Rea) devoted completely himself to catch the serial killer

Early part of Citizen X felt amateurish. Slowly develop to become worthy of your attention. Much involved in the interactions of people who on the side of catching the serial killer. It's like an introduction to Criminal Minds series, because of the methods that they are beginning to use. "There is no serial killer in Russia," said one of them who only care about his position in the government. We could catch the serial killer in 5 minutes of the Criminal Minds show's duration using status quo method, but in which case more than an hour of Citizen X's time. But these are what make Citizen X interesting.

This is a truly remarkable piece of cinematic achievement. From the very start I was utterly hooked into the (true) story when Lt. Viktor Burakov (Stephan Rea) weeps while performing the autopsies on the remains of the children's bodies. This then is the compelling story of Andrei Chikatilo, wonderfully played by Jeffrey DeMunn (The Green Mile). In fact, he plays it so well and so sympathetically that the viewer almost starts to pity him, until we remember what he is. The psychiatrist Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky, wonderfully played by Max Von Sydow was utterly believable in every detail, and the point he makes when talking about paranoia in the Soviet Union, is made all too apparent by the behaviour of the local Communist Commissar Bondarchuk played by Joss Ackland. For me though, the outstanding performance was from Donald Sutherland, proving once again what a superb character actor he really is. I was almost in tears when he told Burakov how the FBI had so closely followed and admired his work. This film puts Silence of the Lambs into the shade, from the atmospheric and bleak Soviet landscape, to the superlative performances by everyone involved.

I rate this film 10/10

CITIZEN X

Aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Sound format: Dolby Stereo

1980's Russia: The true story of a low-paid forensics expert (Stephen Rea) and his struggle to overcome the paranoia and bureaucracy of his Communist bosses whilst searching for serial killer Andrei Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn), who tortured, killed and cannibalized dozens of young people and children over a period of eight years.

Anchored by Rea's committed performance as the dogged pathologist-cum-detective who risked his reputation and livelihood in pursuit of Russia's most prolific mass murderer, CITIZEN X - a conflation of events outlined in Robert Cullen's book 'The Killer Department' - points the finger of blame at an unyielding political system which allowed a monster to operate virtually unhindered for almost a decade. Veteran Brit actor Joss Ackland essays the role of a hardline Communist official whose allegiance to the State proves the single biggest obstacle to the apprehension of Chikatilo, while Donald Sutherland suffers manfully as the only high-ranking officer prepared to assist Rea's investigation, at great personal sacrifice.

Writer-director Chris Gerolmo's bleak but compelling film marshals a wealth of information, conveyed for the most part through dialogue rather than action, as the body count rises and the authorities struggle to hide their secrets from the outside world. Crucially, Chikatilo is portrayed as a desperate man, trapped in appalling social conditions (he's regularly humiliated by workmates and lives with a shrewish, loveless wife), whose repressed emotions and psychopathic tendencies find expression in appalling acts of violence (depicted mostly in long shot, with the worst mutilations occurring off-screen). Fine technical credits, excellent performances, including Max von Sydow in a small - but pivotal - cameo role.

This has to be one the best movies about serial killers that I've ever seen, and this is coming from someone who absolutely loved Silence of the Lambs. HBO has hit the jackpot here. This film is compelling from the first moment until the last.

This film has so many underlying themes its hard to tell exactly what it is about. It chronicles the decade-long search for the Russian serial killer Andrea Chikatilo. Stephen Rea gives a brilliantly reserved performance as the inexperienced forensic expert who is put in charge of the investigation, and Donald Sutherland gives an even more involving performance as his cynical superior, and the only person in the Russian government willing to help him. Both of their performances are subtle masterpieces---Rea begins naive and unwilling to compromise, while Sutherland begins detached and almost amused by the situation. Towards the end, Rea becomes more world-weary and beaten by the system, while Sutherland finds himself more passionate and idealistic.

In any other movie, I would have said that Sutherland's performance stands out above the rest, but here even it is rivaled by Jeffrey DuMann, as the serial killer himself. DuMann brilliantly creates a character here who inspires empathy rather than the hatred we think we would find---he is a monster, but he doesn't want to be, and we get the idea that he is just as disgusted with what he does as we are. He is tortured, ashamed, but vicious as well.

If you can take the incredibly dark subject matter, (and it is *very* disturbing), then you should see this movie.

The true story of the hunt for Russia's most prolific serial killer. Unlike other serial killer movies this is not a thriller. Rather it is more concerned with the frustration and despair of trying to find a serial killer who covers his tracks. The basic facts of the story are told faithfully enough. There is a heavy anti-communist tone, as the detective-hero has to wrestle with bureaucracy and communist incompetence. Interestingly the film shows how it got easier for him when Glasnost and Perestroika came into effect. In fact in one sense it got harder because when the papers were finally allowed to write about the story, there was huge public pressure to solve it. The fake Russian accents are a bit annoying and unnecessary but the script and screenplay are good and there is real attention to detail.

I watched Citizen X for the first time in mid nineties soon after it had been actually filmed. After reading numerous positive reviews, at my second viewing a couple of months back I desperately tried to force myself liking it but all in vain.

I really want to offend nobody but I am truly amazed how enthusiastically, in most cases, esteemed English-speaking moviegoers have accepted this feature. Nods to such acclaimed movies of the relevant genre as Silence of the Lambs are particularly amusing.

Undeniably it has a great and admirable cast and crew. Obviously, the film has its strong moments. Nevertheless, despite the actors tried hard the main characters look lifeless, depressed and mostly implausible anyway.

Throughout the entire movie I couldn't get rid of an unpleasant sensation of shallowness of the characters, especially the lead - Victor Burakov (Stephen Rea) looks rather tame, drowsy and lost. Donald Sutherland, a brilliant actor, which is actually one of my favorites, in this movie looks regretfully misplaced and, I guess, is nowhere as near to the original, i.e. Burakov's superior Maj. Mikhail Fetisov. Just a fleeting glimpse at his character made me believe that he was rather American (Ok, Canadian :-))) top-ranking officer, say General (just forget of the difference in uniform and insignia), than typical ordinary Soviet investigator as he really was.

Presentation of the complex, sometimes next to impossible and self-denying work of hundreds of officers aimed at capturing the grim Rostov monster was practically buried behind a caring, somewhat pretentious and grotesque exposure of bureaucratic absurdities and foolishness of the Soviet regime. Or maybe, I guess, it was such an intentional and principal concept of the film makers?

The entire film looks like it takes place on another planet or, at least, in a hypothetical, phantasmagoric, dull and unlively dreamlike place, where all citizens are either robots or dummies, or at least clowns at their best. All along the way I've been expecting Barker's Pinhead with a bunch of fellow-cenobites to pop up from the wall of the mortuary or the railroad station.

Even the senior officials and communist authorities, though are always stereotypically considered to be like that, looked too much artificial to be believable.

Ironically, the teleplay appeared to be based on Robert Cullen's bestseller "The Killer Department", of which apparently it only borrowed a straightforward storyline but failed to capture the entire essence and feel of the pertinent atmosphere.

This remarkable book provides for a thorough and elaborate account of the notorious Russian (Ukrainian, to be more precise) predator's miserable existence. However, in the first hand it focuses on scrupulous work of Chikatilo's captors. Moreover it is also a painstakingly observant and surprisingly accurate portrayal of everyday life in then Soviet Union.

It has a good and balanced sense of the place and the time - exactly what the movie, unluckily, lacks of.

In Russian the bodies of children begin to get uncovered to reveal what appears to be a Russian serial killer. Due to the nature of the case it is given to a young forensics expert who will be blamed should the case fail. Over 8 years Burakov hunts the killer using methods that are seen as unusual at best and fighting with the internal politics that surround him. This is based on a true story.

HBO TV movies are often a mixed bunch – but I had heard good things about this. The story is immediately engaging as young faces are uncovered beneath shallow soil graves to horrible effect. The fact that it at heart, a true story makes it all the more compelling. The story mixes not only the hunt for this man but also the effect on the perserving Burakov. We see his desperation and the pressure he is under to catch the killer, in particular the political forces who do little to help him in his job. The focus on Burakov makes it more interesting as the human side is well done.

The facts of the case make the man hunt less interesting – however the political action is interesting. For example members of the communist party were not looked at and homosexuals in particular were targeted – often as a fall back method. It's one of the best repeated shots in the film where Burakov has to several time accompay a group of men to kick in doors and arrest homosexuals – he simply stays outside with a resigned look on his face.

Rea is excellent as Burakov and brings the man to life – I'm not sure how true to fact his portrayal is, but you get the impression of a man pushed to his limits by all around him. Sutherland is also very good for different reasons – he has the same passion but it is beneath a smooth political operator. Ackland is good but is really only there to make noise. Von Sydow is good despite his short screen time.

Overall this uses human interest to drive the film, rather than gore or violence. This is well made and manages to be interesting and involving despite not being flashy.

This movie tells an amazing story with history and compassion. From the careful descriptions of the crime scenes to the mental health of the lead investigator, you'll be entranced. It's an absolute must-see for anyone interested in criminology. Interpol relations and how the agencies work together are also great. Not overly done either. I recommend it for anyone interested in Russian history, too. How the police work with the political party being what it was... It is truly fascinating and frustrating. The settings are beautiful. It's been a while since I saw this movie the first time. It doesn't diminish it's impact. Not overly dramatic or graphic, it leaves enough to the imagination, well, you'll see.

Rea, Sutherland, DeMunn, and von Sydow (in a small role) are all brilliant in their performances. Sutherland is particularly adept at this sort of role, where he must portray a character whose morality is, at first, uncertain to the audience. As is so often the case with Sutherland's characters, we must ask "is he a villian [in this case, a minor one], or a hero?"

This is a disturbing story, intelligently told, about the incompetence and fearful bureaucracy in the old Soviet Union that impeded the efforts of extremely competent people. As Sutherland's character wryly notes, "The measure of a bureaucracy is its ability not to make special exceptions". The "committee meeting" (between Rea and Sutherland's characters) after perestroika is enforced, with its revelations, has enormous emotional impact. You can feel the suffering of the dedicated people who labored in that system.

The handful of dramatic scenes portraying victims' family members adds emotional resonance to the impact of the story. This is seldom a feature of a film with this sickening subject matter, but effectively reminds us that the victims had lives, and were loved.

This is a sad, but very important film, which deserved its showcase on Canada's History Television.

Citizen X is not a bad movie per se, but it has too much weird stuff going on.

The biggest flaw is obviously the political propaganda. There is no doubt that the way the investigation was handled was a disaster. Many people have suffered for the crimes they did not commit, including death sentences. But the movie pushes this side of the story too far (even though the persecutions of homosexuals, as well as the fact that some party officials were themselves homosexuals, was actually true).

Big portion of the movie including some unnecessary characters is in this movie only to show how evil the Union was. Most of the things shown in this context are greatly exaggerated or intentionally misrepresented. They spend too much valuable screen time on this instead of giving us a better insight into the detective's work and the killer himself.

At the same time, the movie has lots of interesting details I was pleasantly surprised by. It looks somewhat authentic, the sets, the locations, most of these look good (except for some details only a native would notice). Yes, at times it looks like it's not the 80ties but rather post WW2 fifties and things like trains clearly give away that it was probably shot in Hungary (probably Budapest).

But they really did try to make it look good, I was surprised when I saw a portrait of Brezhnev in the beginning of the film and then, by 1983 (when Brezhnev died), the portrait was switched to Andropov (the next secretary general), that's a good little detail someone took their time to include.

Some of the important characters were also not included in the film, like Issa Kostoev, an important actual investigator. I also wish they would delve deeper into Chikatilo's psyche. But I guess it was the lack of real actual documents available that made them sort of limited to the book this movie was based on.

As a citizen of a post-soviet country who lives around 450 km from the area where most of the killings happened, I appreciate the effort and the details they've included (like the arrest scene, which was pretty accurate), but I really wish they would've switched the useless propaganda for actually interesting character studies.

Here's an oddity: a modern-day film about a serial killer that has no fight scenes, nobody seen dying, no car chases and no loud noises.....and it takes place in Russia. There are only two short action scenes but they are horrific.

The rest of the story is detective work, and how much red tape the poor detective had to go through to solve the murders. This is a very somber movie, and "somber" best describes the personality of the hero (Stephen Rea), as well. Yet, the story is not depressing and it's very interesting all the way through.

Rea is outstanding as the determined, harried-looked detective. Jeffrey DeMunn is downright scary as the killer. Donald Sutherland's Russian accent is suspect but he plays the only character in this film that has some warmth.

Once again, the story is dotted with liberal agendas, here and there, with not one but two references to bias against gays, the total validity of secular psychology, police and government officials being boorish/crude/bigoted, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Otherwise, it's an intelligent and refreshingly low-key crime film. This is a somewhat unique film that probably is not well-known but is well-liked by the people who have seen it. Since it's based on a true-life account of this killer, it's all the more chilling. Don't pass this by just because you haven't anything about it.

The suspense is good. There is no danger of getting bored. But this movie is filled with American cliché's. The way the plot is construed, some easy "drama", the characters... A couple of villains, a couple of hero's and some grey figures that serve the moral of the story. Conclusion: this movie is fine if you're in for a mindless, superficially told killerstory, but if you're at all sensitive for American patriotism and cold-war cliché's you might want to look for a different movie... I get the feeling there was more awkwardness, more psychological depth, more political nuances, more more to be told, but the makers of the movie went for an easy-access trauma-story, rather commercial.

This is a clear, straightforward and well acted movie about a Soviet serial killer over 50 women and children in Rostov in the Soviet Union. Some killing is shown but it's not too graphically violent showing what needs to be shown for the story but not more.

Stephen Rea and Donald Sutherland as the Soviet investigators put on mild Russian accents which adds authenticity. The production captures the bleakness and despair of a Soviet city of the time. Very interesting insights into the ideology and Soviet thinking and bureaucracy of the regime. Especially how these things interfered with catching the killer earlier. It's amazing how they actually had the killer and let him go. The almost primitive methods they had to use to catch killers is quite shocking.

Well worth watching for the culture difference.

Andrei Chikatilo was the first (known) psycho-killer in the URSS, he killed more than 50 people (specially children). This TV production reconstructs those facts and focuses on the researches that they carried out to catch him. The story also portraits all the obstacles the investigators had to get through because of the attitude of the local chairmen (they didn't want publicity, they thought that serial killers were a consequence of Capitalist societies.

Unlike products such as "Ed Gein" or "Henry", in "Citizen X" the morbid factor is not present and there aren't many sequences from the murders.

A good TV movie that makes some concessions to the big audiences (that happy ending),l but it was filmed with sobriety. What's most attractive about "Citizen X" is the great cast, with Stephen Rea, Imelda Staunton or the mythical Donald Suytherland or Max Von Sydow.

*My rate: 6/10

Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo just won't quit. I know HBO movies in the 90s were supposed to be all that but this feels like an amped up TV movie. The tension outside of the murders is cartoonish. The only thing missing is the ever nagging wife. This is not a thriller about Chikatilo but an expose about the inept Soviet Union.

A brand new hangdog forensics head is confronted with the first body found of the many young victims of serial killer Chikatilo. When he asks for help he is turned down for every request he makes and each one is necessary. Anything to save party face.