IMDb > Citizen X (1995) (TV)
Citizen X
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Citizen X (1995) (TV) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   5,154 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Robert Cullen (book)
Chris Gerolmo (teleplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Citizen X on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 February 1995 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
You don't want to know what he does... You just want to know when he's caught. more
Plot:
Based on the true story of a Russian serial killer who, over many years, claimed victim to over 50 people... more | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 11 nominations more
User Comments:
Too Good For A TV Release more (92 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Stephen Rea ... Lt. Viktor Burakov

Donald Sutherland ... Col. Mikhail Fetisov

Max von Sydow ... Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky
Jeffrey DeMunn ... Andrei Chikatilo

Joss Ackland ... Bondarchuk
John Wood ... Gorbunov
Radu Amzulescu ... Federenko

Imelda Staunton ... Mrs. Burakova
András Bálint ... Ignatiev
Géza Balkay ... Procurator
László Váradi Balogh ... Peasant
Zsolt Biro ... Older Gay Man
Ion Caramitru ... Tatevsky
Balázs Csapo ... Gayy Partner
Imre Csuja ... Front Detective
more
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong, graphic violence and related language.
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (DeLuxe) | Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 (video premiere) (cut) | Spain:18 | USA:R | Norway:18 (video premiere)
Filming Locations:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Factual errors: When KGB General Ivanov is first introduced to the committee, he actually wears a colonel's shoulder strips. more
Quotes:
Burakov: You think that a man is what he says.
Fetisov: He is, if he talks for a living.
more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
44 out of 44 people found the following comment useful.
Too Good For A TV Release, 27 February 2005
8/10
Author: Stevin (stevin.marshall@gmail.com) from Polegate, England

I remember following the case of Andre Chicatillo in the newspapers while I was living in South Africa. They had photos of him sitting in his cage while being prosecuted in court. Not, as it turned out, to protect the court members, but to protect him from the public. This was fascinating, albeit morbid, reading. I later heard that a film had been made by HBO about the case, but it was made for American TV. Bummed! Strangely, CITIZEN X got a limited cinematic release in South Africa. I charged down to the local Ster Kinekor complex and duly bought a ticket (I was alone; my girlfriend at the time was only interested in the likes of STEEL MAGNOLIAS and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES). Wow! What a brilliant film. Why wasn't it released to a wider audience? Had it not been made for TV, it could have got an Oscar nomination or 2. There is no way to spoil the ending; who the killer is is never kept from the audience. Jeffrey DeMunn portrays a truly terrifying psycho. He is calm, downtrodden, considered a failure by his wife and subjected to constant ridicule and humiliation by his superiors at work. By committing these horrendous acts, he gets to feel strong, powerful.

Fighting to catch him against all odds is a pathologist, played to excellent turn by Stephen Rea, in one of his strongest performances. He must battle the snail-pace of Russian bureaucracy, the primitive resources he has at his disposal and (above all) the refusal by his superiors to acknowledge that the USSR even has a serial killer. The general in charge (Joss Ackland) says that serial killers are "a decadent, Western phenomenon". Only Donald Sutherland is willing to help, but his help must be under the counter. The ever-brilliant Max Von Sydow plays a Russian psychiatrist who breaks protocol and decides to help the investigators in their quest. It is the first time in Russian history that a shrink is used to build a profile of a serial killer still on the loose, and he has everything to lose if his involvement is made public.

CITIZEN X is brilliantly acted, well written and the music and editing only add to the tension and theme of the film. Excellent support from a horribly underused Imelda Staunton and a real sense of impending doom make CITIZEN X a film worth seeing. This was too good to be made for TV

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Citizen X (1995) (TV)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
warmed-over cold war cliches fileboy2002
Oh, this bug!!! tjantus
Biography documentary of Andrei Chikatilo is a must watch.... tdigi
Citizen X and Bill Cosby rondine
The Killer Department Kosh2260
It's on Bravo Canada tonight, Jan 14th 10pm Pac. LaserDoug
more

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