I was inspired to rewatch this movie after being reminded about it by Dave over at TMI. Tnx Dave
“To be a psychiatrist in this country (the Soviet Union) is to be an expert on paranoia, whether you meant to be or not.” – Bukhanovsky
Number of Times Seen – 2 (Cable in 1996 and 25 Jun 2015)
Brief Synopsis – Based in the true story of Russian detective’s decades long search for a notorious serial killer.
My Take on it – Prior to the fall of communism in the early 90’s, the way that detectives worked in Russia was very different than the way it was done in the US.
This movie tells the true take of how a Russian detective and his boss persevered over many years in their attempt to find and stop a local serial killer despite all of the “red” tape behind the Iron Curtain.
TV has been inundated lately with police/detective procedurals and when this movie was made for cable back in ’95, it wasn’t a genre that was so popular, so watching this movie then was a much better experience than it was now.
I’m not in any way trying to say that this wasn’t a riveting mystery, because it was. What I mean to say is that for most people to watch this now, they will probably feel that is just a generic procedural, but it is one step above it because of it’s location, it’s characters and ultimately it’s lack of technology to help these brave men solve this crime.
Lead actors Stephen Rea and Donald Sutherland are both excellent here as is Jeffrey DeMunn in a chilling and creepy role.
Bottom Line – Rea, and Sutherland are excellent here portraying procedural detectives in a world before we were so use to weekly procedurals. The fact that they persevered for so many years is really a testament to their quest for closure and an end to the heinous murders on their watch. Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – A subtle and clever device to mark time is employed by a succession of wall photographs depicting current premiers from Brezhnev to Gorbachev. (From IMDB)
Rating – Globe Worthy
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I’m so glad you like this movie, Rob! What did you think of von Sydow? Thanks for the link. I’m going to return that favor. I’m so amazed at the sheer amount of content you write.
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No need to return the favor, it really isn’t necessary.
I thought he was good, but he didn’t stand out as much for me as the other two and since I like to keep my reviews short, and spoiler free, I didn’t want to discuss his role too much anyway.
did it not link properly to you or did u just miss the notification?
Not sure where you are in the world, but if you ever want a guest on your podcast, I’m always game. I personally live in Israel so I’m 7 hrs ahead of NYC and 10 ahead of LA
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It is linked right to my About Us page, but I received no notification, which has happened a number of times with other bloggers as well. Not sure why. Some setting I have checked somewhere maybe. Either way, I really appreciate it and thank you for stopping by my site so often.
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