The stakes are obviously high in a hunt for a serial killer, but that doesn't stop the career bureaucrats from doing their best to avoid innovation, and here the point is keenly and entertainingly dramatized.
Having worked for county government for 15 years, and lived in China for going on three years, I really enjoyed the many shots at bureaucracy this film fires off so accurately. Bureaucracy can get out of control in any country, as anybody who has had to deal with it in the USA knows.
The acting is excellent throughout. Stephen Rhea does a great job of manifesting anguished frustration with the system and himself. His chemistry with Donald Sutherland is delightful.
One note to other commentators: many movie fans do feel that accents help create an atmosphere appropriate to the country in which a film is set. In CITIZEN X, Rhea does a good Russian accent, while Donald Sutherland's is very subtle. I noticed that several of the supporting actors had Hungarian names; maybe here it would have been hard for the Hungarian actors to hide their accents to match the British and American actors. Imagine if one cop had an American accent, one British, and the rest something that sounds more Slavic. Accent is basically a theatrical convention, like costume and make up, and this is not the first or last film to use it!
It seems hard to believe that somebody who enjoys movies would stop watching just because accents are used--and then write a review about watching ten minutes of a movie!
In addition to being a reminder of how dangerous bureaucracies can be, this film is one of the best police procedurals I've ever seen, and I've likely seen as many as anybody reading this opinion. I give CITIZEN X a 9 out of 10. Enjoy.
Having worked for county government for 15 years, and lived in China for going on three years, I really enjoyed the many shots at bureaucracy this film fires off so accurately. Bureaucracy can get out of control in any country, as anybody who has had to deal with it in the USA knows.
The acting is excellent throughout. Stephen Rhea does a great job of manifesting anguished frustration with the system and himself. His chemistry with Donald Sutherland is delightful.
One note to other commentators: many movie fans do feel that accents help create an atmosphere appropriate to the country in which a film is set. In CITIZEN X, Rhea does a good Russian accent, while Donald Sutherland's is very subtle. I noticed that several of the supporting actors had Hungarian names; maybe here it would have been hard for the Hungarian actors to hide their accents to match the British and American actors. Imagine if one cop had an American accent, one British, and the rest something that sounds more Slavic. Accent is basically a theatrical convention, like costume and make up, and this is not the first or last film to use it!
It seems hard to believe that somebody who enjoys movies would stop watching just because accents are used--and then write a review about watching ten minutes of a movie!
In addition to being a reminder of how dangerous bureaucracies can be, this film is one of the best police procedurals I've ever seen, and I've likely seen as many as anybody reading this opinion. I give CITIZEN X a 9 out of 10. Enjoy.