USA, 105 min
Obscure, pleasantly dark little HBO-made drama about the hunt for Ukie serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who killed 50-somethin’ women and children before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Adapted from the Killer Department, a non-fiction account of the whole affair, this film is a a surprising winner, in spite of the endearing moments when Sutherland seems to forget he’s supposed to have a Russian accent. The film builds suspense by depicting how efforts to catch the killer were endlessly delayed and sabotaged by Soviet bureaucracy and inefficiency, without sinking into excessive steretyping/clichés about US-Soviet relations. Decent rainy-Sunday-afternoon flick.
CINEMATRICES 