Review: ‘Child 44’ is a slow, brooding drama, but one that is still quite fascinating

Posted on April 24, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

Serial killers fascinate us and they’ve been ingrained in our popular culture. We hunt them weekly on “Criminal Minds” and root for one in particular in Showtime’s “Dexter.” I think part of it is the fear they bring out in us. Murder is horrible enough, but acts of passion or emotion can at least be explained, if not understood. Most serial killers, however, have reasons that only make sense to them.

This is why it is often so hard to track them down. But consider how much harder it would be to catch such a killer when even admitting he exists is a crime against the state. That is the struggle facing the characters in “Child 44,” a claustrophobic and tense thriller about the pursuit of a mass murderer during the height of Stalin’s Soviet Union.

Although the film borders on brooding, and some will find its pace overly slow, emotional performances and a story that is as frustrating as it is fascinating, combine to create a compelling film, but not the one you probably expect.

The first thing you need to know is the story of “Child 44” is not really about a serial killer. Sure, there is a man going around killing young boys, and attempts to apprehend him are what drive the events of the film, but these moments feel almost secondary–by the end–to the characters’ struggles to survive in a society in which the only way to make it through the day is to lie to everyone about everything and pray you don’t get noticed by those in power.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller about tracking down a killer, this is not the film for you. But if you’re looking for a story about life in 1950s Soviet Russia built around a man risking his life and career to stop a killer, then you might have found your target in “Child 44.”

The film is rated R for violence, some disturbing images, language and a scene of sexuality.

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