Welcome back to my blog. Here’s my recommendation of a movie to check out today and hope you punch your “Ticket to the Movies!” OK, today, let’s take a look at the dark drama of “Citizen X,” which is a film about the most prolific serial killer in history in Russia and stars Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Max von Sydow and an especially good, creepy turn by Jeffrey DeMunn as “Andrei Chikatilo,” who was the real life serial murderer.
“Citizen X” was one of the HBO efforts in the early to mid-1990s that helped establish such “networks” as being able to make powerful, interesting big-screen efforts outside the traditional Hollywood studio system. Along with a big cast of top-notch actors, such films also had solid production values and creativity.
With “Citizen X” you get the story of the police, led by Rea, who try to unearth the identity of whomever was killing children in the Rostov area far south of Moscow near the Black Sea. Rea is hampered not only by few clues to the killer’s identity and the lack of superior forensic technology, but also by the ideology of Communist Russia, whose “official” version is that there is no such thing as a serial killer because the Soviet system does not have such specimens.
Further, DeMunn is a member of the Communist Party and so receives a bit of protection as investigators close in on him
“Citizen X” is a showcase for Rea’s dogged pursuit; Sutherland’s assistance as an officer and a party member; DeMunn’s excellent portrayal of the killer; and von Sydow’s turn as a psychiatrist who is brave enough to buck the Communist system by admitting there is such a creature as a serial killer. You won’t find much better acting in any film.
As a warning: there is some very dramatic scenes in “Citizen X” of the criminal and crime, but certainly not as horrific as you’d see if the film was produced today.
So, I say punch your “Ticket to the Movies!” and watch “Citizen X.” It is available on the HBO Max, Netflix and Hulu subscription platforms as well as to rent on other streaming services. Don’t worry, you’ll thank me later for “Citizen X.”
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