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Child 44

Child 44: Slow Adaptation of Andrei Chikatilo Story

  • Gary OldmanNoomi Rapace...
  • DramaMystery & Suspense
  • Daniel Espinosa
reviewed by
Marija Loncarevic
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Child 44: Slow Adaptation of Andrei Chikatilo Story

Based on Tom Rob Smith’s fictional novel of the same name, Child 44 – a story directly inspired by the case of one of Russia’s most notorious killers, Andrei Chikatilo- has all of the right makings of a genuinely intriguing and enticing thriller. Sadly, though, its power and potential – strongly felt on paper – is nowhere to be found on the big-screen.

The movie is centered on Leo Demidov (Hardy); a Ukrainian orphan of the 1930’s and a man who has grown into an accidental war hero during WWII. He is now a dedicated and committed security officer working for Moscow’s Ministry of State Security, whose primary job involves tracking down traitors. He is extremely good at his job and he leads a rather luxurious life which he shares with his beautiful schoolteacher wife, Raisa (Rapace).

However, his life soon takes a drastic turn when – while trying to extract the names of possible traitors from a prisoner – he learns that Raisa’s name is among the conspirators, eliciting a full-blown investigation into their lives. After refusing to renounce his innocent wife as a spy, he is quickly dishonored and shipped away to the industrial town of Volsk.  Almost immediately after his arrival, however, he hears of a discovery of a child’s body near the main railway which just so happens to bear very strong resemblance to an incident that happened in Moscow not so long ago.

Convinced that there is a serial-killer on the loose, Leo soon begins his own investigation, however, doing so in Stalin’s Russia – where murder is labeled as ‘capitalist disease’ – is dangerous and not the easiest of tasks to accomplish.

Sitting through Daniel Espinosa’s Child 44 is definitely not the happiest of experiences. Gruesome, dark and exceptionally gloomy, anyone who is familiar with the novel and has heard or read something about Andrei Chikatilo will know that there is very little room for hopefulness and sanguinity in the movie’s minutes.  However, no matter how dark or murky the source material may be – that is not really the problem here – there is no excuse for the lack of focus which is unfortunately, evident in Richard Price’s overly-detailed script.  Trying to fit in every single detail from Smith’s novel into its hundred-and-thirty running time is where Child 44 is the weakest; one too many subplots has left the movie vulnerable to a series of plot-holes and gaps in logic.

Luckily, the performances – including Gary Oldman’s terribly underused appearance – are solid and Hardy’s Demidov is someone you can easily cairorevamp_user for; his thick Russian accent is not terrible either.  However, everything else is.  Slow, complicated and downright boring, Child 44’s initial qualities – gripping real-life story, A-list cast and a relatively reliable director – are quickly washed away by an uninspiring script and a tiring on-screen adaptation that never adds up to much.

Like This? Try

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Easy Money (2010), The Crimson Rivers (2000)

360 Tip

Christian Bale was in talks to play the lead role but he ultimately declined the offer.

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