History Film / CitizenX

* AllGaysArePedophiles: Subverted. Burakov is ordered to bring "known homosexuals" in for investigation due to the committee's belief that, because many of the victims of the killer's sexual torture and murder are young boys, the killer must be homosexual. He isn't-- at the end of the film Bukhanovsky posits the possibility that Chikatilo is actually ''UsefulNotes/{{asexual}}'', with the rapes just being a method of achieving power over the victim. It seems born out by the fact that he's impotent otherwise.
* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Or All Psychologists Look Like Freud at least, and Max Von Sydow's Bukhanovsky more than any of them. This contrasts with the real Bukhanovsky who was a younger, clean-shaved, portly guy at the time this happened.

* BasedOnATrueStory: Chikatilo was one of the few killers to start killing in his late 40s. And, yes, communist ideology (particularly in view of the fact that Chikatilo was a member of the Communist Party) did make the investigation harder.

* TheCynic: Burakov initially believes Fetisov to be one of these, but he soon realizes that Fetisov is actually TheStoic, and by the end Fetisov is very much NotSoStoic.

--->'''Fetisov:''' He said he begins every new incoming class of investigators about this case, and about you. And he told me that you are the one detective who he would never like to be after him, because you would never stop, and never give up, until you had caught him. I concur.
* DepravedBisexual: Chikatilo was known to sexual harass both female and male students during his time as a professor, resulting in getting fired. As a killer, he targets both girls and boys.

* {{Ephebophile}}: Bondarchuk, who appears to be in his 50's or even his 60's, is fooling around with a 19-year old boy. Depending on how long it's been going on, he may have been even younger when it started, making him a complete {{Hypocrite}} regarding both homosexuality and the safety of children.

* HeroicBSOD: Burakov suffers one early in the film, when he is confronted by Bondarchuk regarding some statements he had made about how he would rather find bodies of the serial killer's victims than not -- meaning that he would rather have a possible lead to the killer than none at all. Bondarchuk asks him if [[TwistingTheWords he really wants to see more people be killed]], which causes Burakov to break down. [[{{Jerkass}} Bondarchuk is unsympathetic.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Bondarchuk, the petard in question being his determination to persecute homosexuals. If he hadn't been so determined about it, Fetisov wouldn't have got suspicious and made a few inquiries about Bondarchuk's own private life...
* ImAHumanitarian: Chikatilo partially cannibalized his victims, because in Soviet Union, [[IncrediblyLamePun serial]] eats ''you''.

* ManlyTears: Burakov has a few of these, notably when Fetisov gives him complete control of the investigation and tells him that the FBI, whom Burakov had been wanting to consult for advice, actually regard ''Burakov'' as [[TheHero a hero]].

* MistakenForEvidence: Played with. Burakov arrests Chikatilo and thinks that he finally has him, pending the results of a blood-semen test. But the blood test shows that the semen and Chikatilo's blood are different types, so Chikatilo goes free, much to Burakov's frustration. Later, the head of Soviet forensics claims that Chikatilo possesses a rare genetic trait that make his semen and blood different types, but nobody else believes her. Given the level of bureaucratic incompetence in the film, the most likely explanation is that the lab messed up the test (the real Chikatilo really had this trait though).

* PoliceAreUseless: Played straight for the first 15 minutes, then gradually inverted over the rest of the movie. The cops under Burakov start out as cynical, lazy and incompetent but [[HeroicWillpower Burakov's example]] inspires them to [[MisfitMobilizationMoment take the investigation seriously]]. By the end, they've all become effective heroes.

* SovietSuperscience: Inverted. Soviet criminology is consistently portrayed two steps behind the Americans.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Burakov refuses to let Party politics stop him from his investigation, and Fetisov blackmails a high ranking Party officer to allow Burakov to continue his investigation.

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Andrei Chikatilo is a fairly normal downtrodden Soviet factory worker, who just so happens to deal with his stress about his downtrodden factory worker life via brutal murders.

* YouAreInCommandNow: Burakov becomes the chief investigator by default, because nobody else wants to handle the case. Later on, when the Soviet Union is crumbling and the Communist Party has lost authority, he gets put in charge of the investigation committee because of his outright determination and competence.

-->'''Fetisov:''' (to Federenko, Burakov's second in command, while watching Burakov examine a crime scene) "Tell me honestly, what do you think of him?"
-->'''Federenko:''' (about Burakov, after a very long, very soul-searching pause) "I think he is the greatest detective I have ever seen."

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The prison officers are wearing Soviet uniforms, but the trial took place immediately after the establishment of TheNewRussia.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The prison officers are wearing communist uniforms, but the trial took in the Russian Federation.

* AllGaysArePedophiles: Subverted. Burakov is ordered to bring "known homosexuals" in for investigation due to the committee's belief that, because many of the victims of the killer's sexual torture and murder are young boys, the killer must be homosexual. He isn't-- at the end of the film Bukhanovsky posits the possibility that Chikatilo is actually ''[[UsefulNotes/{{asexual}}'', with the rapes just being a method of achieving power over the victim. It seems born out by the fact that he's impotent otherwise.

* AllGaysArePedophiles: Subverted. Burakov is ordered to bring "known homosexuals" in for investigation due to the committee's belief that, because many of the victims of the killer's sexual torture and murder are young boys, the killer must be homosexual. He isn't-- at the end of the film Bukhanovsky posits the possibility that Chikatilo is actually ''[[UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}} asexual]]'', with the rapes just being a method of achieving power over the victim. It seems born out by the fact that he's impotent otherwise.

* SpiritualSuccessor: 25 years later, HBO released ''{{Series/Chernobyl}}'', another international production about a IgnoredExpert having to solve a crisis while dealing with government denialism in TheEighties USSR. ''Chernobyl'''s creator Craig Mazin also cited ''Citizen X'' as a precedent when deciding to not use FakeRussian accents.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The prison officers are wearing communist uniforms, but the trial took place ''after'' TheGreatPoliticsMessUp.

* AllGaysArePedophiles: Subverted. Burakov is ordered to bring "known homosexuals" in for investigation due to the committee's belief that, because many of the victims of the killer's sexual torture and murder are young boys, the killer must be homosexual. He isn't-- at the end of the film Bukhanovsky posits the possibility that Chikatilo is actually ''[[{{Asexuality}} asexual]]'', with the rapes just being a method of achieving power over the victim. It seems born out by the fact that he's impotent otherwise.

* MadeForTVMovie

* PoliceBrutalityGambit: It fails miserably.

* PoliceAreUseless: Played straight for the first 15 minutes, then gradually inverted over the rest of the movie. The cops under Burakov start out as cynical, lazy and incompetent but [[HeroicWillpower Burakov's example]] inspires them to [[MisfitMobilizationMoment take the investigation seriously]]. By the end, they've all become BigDamnHeroes.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The prison officers are wearing communist uniforms, but the trial took place after TheGreatPoliticsMessUp.

* BreakThemByTalking: Bukhanovsky does this to Chikatilo, in the more quiet (and nervous) way possible.

* GoodAllAlong: Burakov eventually realizes his boss Colonel Fetisov is actually this.

* HeroicBSOD: Burakov suffers one early in the film, when he is confronted by Bondarchuk regarding some statements he had made about how he would rather find bodies of the serial killer's victims than not--meaning that he would rather have a possible lead to the killer than none at all. Bondarchuk asks him if [[TwistingTheWords he really wants to see more people be killed]], which causes Burakov to break down. [[JerkAss Bondarchuk is unsympathetic.]]

* PoliceAreUseless: Played straight for the first fifteen minutes, then gradually inverted over the course of the movie. The cops under Burakov start out as cynical, lazy and incompetent but [[HeroicWillpower Burakov's example]] inspires them to [[MisfitMobilizationMoment take the investigation seriously]]. By the end, they've all become BigDamnHeroes.