Citizen X (1995)



Every week I manage watch at least half a dozen movies and nowadays I am not able to write the reviews so promptly as I was doing before.Its because of many factors “new job and frequent personal travel” and so on.Citizen X is one of the movie which I watched two weeks earlier and was not able to write about the movie.But this movie was still in my mind for its way it was moving, particularly some characters in the movie.

Citizen X is movie shot in Russia it resembles the mood of the movie Zodiac.Its about a serial killer who kills children and young girls in the woods. Viktor Burakov( Stephen Rea ) investigates the case where he gets no help from the communist police superiors. Mikhail Fetisov (Donald Sutherland) colonel in the troop remains the only hope for Rea.Frustration builds for Rea as the murder increases day by day.All his efforts are put in vain as the Soviet union refuses to accept a serial killer in Russia.Gorbachev dissolves USSR and things change for Rhea and his new gained confidence makes effortful evidences.

A trivia about this movie is it was not released worldwide in a big way as it was HBO home production .Some may find it difficult to grab a DVD copy of this.But I can say this movie was one of the extremely patient and well crafted serial killer movie in my recent past.The best thing about this movie is that it shows the serial killer face right in the beginning and it makes us to decide the consequences to reach him.We knew he is the fellow but we are left like Rhea how to reach him.Communist ideologies in USSR which hindered many influential growth of Global growth entering in to Russia plays an important role in the movie .

Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn) plays the role of Citizen X,the term coined by the psychologist who interrogates him at the end.At moments of desperation he gets in to the the stations for the rural railroad of Russia, where he preys on lonely children.The brutality of his thirst and anguish confuses about his intention.But it was cleverly shown through a case study and every moment with the final interrogation makes us understand on the theory about Citizen X.It moves more of as a psychological analysis than a investigation.

Writer-director Chris Gerolmo skillfully takes about the real story of Citizen X and the frustration which Burakov hides through out the ten year of investigation and the gradual progress he makes through his patience .Citizen X is a worthy movie for Serial killer movie lovers and psychological movie lovers.


Comments

Anonymous said…
the first thing that crossed my mind was our very own tamil citizen..
May 18, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Karthik said…
ethu ellam konjam over da....
May 19, 2008 at 7:12 AM
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