If nothing else, director Daniel Espinosa's Child 44 has put together an impeccable cast made up of Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman and Jason Clarke -- and despite a hodgepodge of phlegmy Russian accents, each actor gives it his or her all in this Stalin-era crime-thriller. That said, as an adaptation of Rob Tom Smith's 2008 novel, Child 44 doesn't quite translate on screen, as drab storytelling and overstuffed plot take a lot of the steam out of its central mystery.
Set in 1953 Soviet Russia, the story follows Leo Demidov (Hardy), a prominent MGB agent who is disgraced when he refuses to denounce his wife Raisa (Rapace) as a traitor to their country. Exiled from Moscow to the muddy hinterlands, Leo and Raisa ally with General Mikhail Nesterov (Oldman) to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. However, their quest for justice directly opposes a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo's sadistic rival, Vasili (Kinnaman), who insists the childrens' murders -- all 44 of them -- were "accidents." As members the MGB recite over and over again, "There is no murder in paradise."
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Set in 1953 Soviet Russia, the story follows Leo Demidov (Hardy), a prominent MGB agent who is disgraced when he refuses to denounce his wife Raisa (Rapace) as a traitor to their country. Exiled from Moscow to the muddy hinterlands, Leo and Raisa ally with General Mikhail Nesterov (Oldman) to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. However, their quest for justice directly opposes a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo's sadistic rival, Vasili (Kinnaman), who insists the childrens' murders -- all 44 of them -- were "accidents." As members the MGB recite over and over again, "There is no murder in paradise."
Continue reading…
Continue reading...