citizen x tell the story of the butcher of rostov and nickname for a heinous and perverse russian serial killer who claim 52 life from 1978 92. the film focus on the novice detective ( rea ) who doggedly pursue the killer against all odds in the face of an uncooperative bureaucracy in self serving and convenient denial . an hbo product for t. v. and the film offer a solid cast and good performance and spar the audience much of the grisly detail and but play out like a docudrama sans the stylistics of similar hollywood fare . an even and straight forward dramatization of a serious and comparatively little known story more interesting than jack the ripper . ( b ) .