Citizen X (1995)

Such terrible detective work resulted in so many dead who should not have died if the search for the serial killer was even competent, let alone good. The killer could have been caught so much earlier than the 11 years it finally took due to awful detective work that did not even consider two key tactics not used early on....those of surveillance and decoys. Once the killer's MO was discovered and his identity was suspected early on, he should have been placed under close surveillance 24/7, with special attention given to RR stations after those locations were determined to be the ones most likely to expose the suspect in the act of enticing his next victim. Also, using a decoy would have supplemented the first tactic and may have been even more immediately successful. Absolutely the worst police work I have ever seen in a modern film story, and totally embarrassing to anyone who has ever been on the the job, but may have been somewhat realistic considering that it happened in Russia in the 80s.That said, the movie was a pretty slow slog with little progress through the years, albeit massively hindered by many total political incompetents with their communist militaristic mindset and rigidity. Only by the persistence of the impassioned doctor(Rea)leading the case and the understanding and supportive colonel(Sutherland)in charge of it all was this case finally solved after too many years, all the while using archaic medical tech and police work that allowed so many killings to occur that never should have happened. Without those two dedicated men to find the killer eventually, it surely would never have been solved. A slowly involving story, but maddening for all the incompetence and posturing instead of good police work.

"Citizen X" from 1995, produced by HBO, is based on the true story of the Andrei Chikatilo investigation. Chikatilo (played by Jeffrey DeMunn) was a Russian serial killer who murdered over 50 people, many 17 years of age or under, until he was finally caught.Stephen Rea plays Viktor Burakov, a police detective put in charge of the case in 1983. Due to the bureaucracy in the Soviet Union, he is unable to get anything that will help him - that being extra men, computers, and the ability to access records from the FBI. The last element was a point of pride, as the Communists did not want the U.S. to know how far behind they were.Frustrated, Burakov doggedly works, with some support from Colonel Mikhail Fetisov (Donald Sutherland), a man who acquiesces to the unreasonable demands of his superiors, but feels for Burakov. Because of the problems in SU, it takes Burakov 7 years of hard work to find the killer.One problem, a fascinating one, is that the killer's blood type is A, but the semen is type AB, which is why, after he was originally arrested early in the investigation, he had to be released. I scanned the story of this case, and the film seems to be fairly accurate.Besides Sutherland, Ray, and DeMunn, the cast includes Max von Sydow as a psychiatrist who writes a profile of the killer, Imelda Staunton as Viktor's wife, Josh Ackland, and John Wood - a very distinguished cast. It's no surprise that they all do a terrific job.Jeffrey DeMunn as Chikatilo gives a chilling performance of a meek, impotent man who can only find satisfaction in killing. But the one holds the film together is Stephen Rea with his beautiful performance as a quietly determined, frustrated, and empathic man who is determined to bring the killer to justice. He and Donald Sutherland build a wonderful camaraderie as the film goes on.Highly recommended, and though this could have been gorier, some of what they show is gory enough for me.

Very well presented in a believable way is this story of a serial killer in Russia. It probably could be happening anywhere one might find high ranking officials who refuse to allow a low level investigator the freedom and resources he needs to quickly find the murderer.Donald Sutherland is brilliant as a Russian Colonel who sidesteps and outwits some of his superiors in order to give his team a chance to succeed. The direction is straight forward. No special effects. Some make up and a bit of gore but just enough to make it real.I wonder how many times in history these kinds of political characters have let murders take place rather than admit to their own incompetence. Also the blaming of a particular sexual orientation for something unrelated.Highly recommended. I watched it at Amazon Prime but it might be at NetFlix or elsewhere. There might be a DVD.

This is a compelling drama. I agree with comments praising Stephen Rae, Donald Sutherland and Geoffrey DeMunn for their performances. I would add further commend the atmospheric music by Randy Edelman. It is one of the few films I can watch repeatedly and not get tired of it.But, it is not the whole truth. Yes, there was a serial killer Chikatilo, and yes he was hunted down with a relentless determination by Burakov with the help of Fetisov. But these real men and their methods were not the characters portrayed by Rea and Sutherland. Burakov was a man of the Soviet system who believed in it and applied its methods in his work. These methods included "obtaining confessions from suspects". It was this fixation with obtaining confessions under duress that was one reason the police wasted years chasing false leads. It would not have generated sympathy in Western audiences to have shown this story - so the reality was changed to fit the fable of a lonely hero fighting a bungling system.Read Robert Cullen's "The Killer Departmen" for the full (real) story. Watch the film for a first-class detective yarn in exotic circumstance.