Rating: 
Summary: Grim, gripping account of true-life serial killer
Review: CITIZEN X (USA 1995): Based on a true story. In 1980's Russia, a low-paid forensics expert (Stephen Rea) struggles against the paranoia and bureaucracy of his Communist bosses during the search for serial killer Andrei Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn), who has 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). While the tone is generally grim, Gerolmo can't resist lightening the climax with typical Hollywood fripperies (cf. Rea's unlikely 'confrontation' with an angry crowd whose loved ones were murdered by Chikatilo), but that's a tiny lapse in an otherwise laudable production, which includes Max von Sydow in a small, but pivotal, cameo role. Technical credits are professional throughout, and performances are uniformly excellent. Viewers in search of quality drama shouldn't be deterred by HBO's no-frills DVD, which offers few significant extras, except for brief biographies of the principal players that don't really amount to very much. Picture quality is fine, and the soundtrack is entirely serviceable. 102m 57s
1.33:1 [original TV ratio]
Dolby Surround 2.0
Dolby Stereo [original sound mix]
Optional English subtitles and closed captions
Region 1
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