A crime thriller, set in the Soviet Union during the Stalin era: it sounds like a good idea. And it probably is, but unfortunately 'Child 44' doesn't have what it takes to be a really good film. Some things are well done: the oppressing atmosphere of living in a police state, and the courage it takes to go against of the powers that be, are very convincing. That's partly because of the excellent cinematography, full of grey colours conveying the joyless society that Soviet Russia must have been; and partly because of Tom Hardy's convincing lead.
Hardy shows exactly the right amount of tenacity to make him believable as the Russian war hero who becomes an outcast because he refuses to denounce his innocent wife, against the will of the regime. Only after he exposes the incompetence of the police force in a series of child killings, he gets rehabilitated.
The weak point of the film is the script. It takes a long while before all elements of the story are clear, and the quick succession of events at the start is a bit confusing. Moreover, the story is spiced up with some action scenes that are not well executed and unnecessary. Also, the tear jerking scene at the end is at odds with the hard-boiled story.
What really annoyed me (and I think I'm not alone) is the language. The actors speak English with a mock Russian accent. This half-hearted way of solving a language problem makes some dialogue almost ridiculous. Just let them speak normal English. I know, that makes the film a bit less authentic. But nobody spoke English with mock Russian accents in Soviet Russia.
