Citizen X

You don't want to know what he does... You just want to know when he's caught.
Citizen X (1995)
1:45 (105 min)
7.2/10
37 637
—
no scores
7.2/10
403
7.4/10
26000
Rate the movie:
Release date
Director
Chris Gerolmo
Scenario
Chris Gerolmo
Composer
Producer
Timothy Marx
Actors
Photo Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea
Lt. Viktor Burakov
Photo Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland
Col. Mikhail Fetisov
Photo Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Dr. Alexandr Bukhanovsky
Photo Jeffrey DeMunn
Jeffrey DeMunn
Andrei Chikatilo
Photo Joss Ackland
Joss Ackland
Bondarchuk
Photo John Wood
John Wood
Gorbunov
Radu Amzulescu
Federenko
Photo Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton
Mrs. Burakov
All actors and roles (10)

Short description

Citizen X is a crime drama set in the Soviet Union, following forensic specialist Viktor Burakov as he investigates the murder of a child. When further bodies come to light, he concludes that a serial killer is at work in the region. His superiors resist the idea, insisting that such offenders exist only in the West, and bureaucratic obstruction and political interference repeatedly hamper the inquiry. Burakov pursues the case for eight years, assisted by Colonel Mikhail Fetisov and, later, by psychiatrist Alexandr Bukhanovsky, whose insights help shape the investigation. The film is based on the case of Andrei Chikatilo and on Robert Cullen's book about the manhunt, with Jeffrey DeMunn portraying the killer.

The film was directed and written by Chris Gerolmo and produced by Timothy Marx. Stephen Rea leads the cast as Burakov, with Donald Sutherland as Fetisov, Max von Sydow as Bukhanovsky and Joss Ackland and John Wood in supporting roles. Made for television by HBO, it runs 105 minutes.

On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.4 from around 26,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.2 from roughly 400 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 from seven reviews places it close to the audience scores. The large gap in vote counts between the two platforms suggests a wider and more sustained audience on IMDb.

What's left behind the scenes

  • Filming took place in the vicinity of Budapest.
  • Wedding rings in the USSR and Russia are worn on the right hand, not the left, as in the USA.
  • In the final scene of the film, Chikatilo is executed with a Glock pistol, but this brand was never in service with the Soviet/Russian army or police.
  • The film is based on the book "The Killer Department" (1993) by American author Robert Cullen.

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