Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace hunt a killer in the first trailer for Child 44

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Who doesn’t love a good serial killer movie? With the genre sometimes difficult to shake up, filmmakers need to change settings and time periods to give their film some added edge. With Cold War era Soviet Union as the backdrop, director Daniel Espinosa has the perfect location to unleash a new cinematic monster.

Based on the novel of the same name, CHILD 44 stars Tom Hardy doing what he does best: transforming into his character. This time, he plays a Soviet cop on the hunt for a brutal serial killer in a country that refuses to believe such criminals can exist outside of the United States.

A politically-charged serial killer thriller set in 1953 Soviet Russia, CHILD 44 chronicles the crisis of conscience for secret police agent Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy), who loses status, power and home when he refuses to denounce his own wife, Raisa (Noomi Rapace), as a traitor. Exiled from Moscow to a grim provincial outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with General Mikhail Nesterov (Gary Oldman) to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. Their quest for justice threatens a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo’s psychopathic rival Vasili (Joel Kinnaman), who insists “There is no crime in Paradise.”

With Ridley Scott on board as producer, SAFE HOUSE director Espinosa looks like he has crafted a taut historical thriller. Now, being the eagle-eyed movie fan, I am pretty sure this trailer spoils who the killer is with a poorly used voice over and quick cut of the back of the character’s head. I could be off base since I have not read the novel but I think I already figured it out.

CHILD 44 also stars Jason Clarke, Vincent Cassel, Dev Patel, and Paddy Considine. It hits theaters on April 17, 2015.