child 44
2015 review number 57:
Child 44: (Drama/Thriller): 61 out of 100: Based on the best selling novel of the same name, this bleak film has the makings of a classic but the execution lets it down. It is billed as a thriller but the tension is sorely lacking.
Tom Hardy plays secret Russian police agent Leo Demidov who loses his status, power and home when he refuses to denounce his wife, Raisa (Noomi Rapace), as a traitor. Exiled from Moscow to a grim outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with General Mikhail Nesterov [Gary Oldman] to pursue a serial killer who preys on young boys. Their quest for justice highlights a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo's rival Vasili (Joel Kinnaman).
Hardy is probably the best thing about this movie. He has a brooding and magnetic screen presence. Whenever he appears, you are glued to the screen. Unfortunately Oldman doesn't get the chance to exert his authority like he usually does in his movies. Rapace more or less has a thankless role as the damsel in distress. Kinnaman is menacing but his character is pretty much a cliched one. If you've seen a rival to the main character in other films, you will definitely recognise the stereotype here.
The main problem with the film is the direction. The action scenes are filmed so close-up with a shaky camera that you can't really tell what's happening. This takes away a lot of the tension from the story. The story itself meanders along. There are some excellent issues raised although the direction with its lack of focus makes them appear tiresome. The movie overstays its welcome at 137 minutes long.
Granted that the theme of nasty child murders during the Stalin-era Soviet Union is a depressing one but the bleak lighting and cinematography overdo this, thus contributing to the difficulty in following what's happening on the screen. It's easy to lose interest when you're having a devil of a time working out what's happening.
It's not the worst adaptation of a novel, but considering the pedigree, it should have been a much better film. It has been reduced to a standard Hollywood production which has good intentions but struggles to thrill and excite.
Starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace and Joel Kinnaman
(137 minutes)
Parental advice: Violence, adult themes and sex scenes
Additional scene during or after credits: No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uia6y9SRsj4 (Movie trailer)
(Reviewed on Thursday 16th April, 2015)
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