Citizen X/YMMV

• Complete Monster: It's about a serial killer, who even described himself as such in real life.
• Crowning Moment of Awesome: Several, but most importantly Bukhanovsky's interrogation.
  • The arrest near the end of the film is an easy contender: Chikatilo goes to a kiosk to buy some beer, and while walking back home through a public park, a man walks by him and asks for a lighter. Then another man walks next to him... And another... And another... until six men are surrounding him and telling him to keep on walking, then stuffing him in a car with Bukarov inside.
  • After Chikatilo has finally broken down and confessed, the detectives walk out to face a huge crowd of angry relatives--who promptly begin applauding when they are informed that these are the men who caught the killer. Doubles as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
  • Bondarchuk, The Political Officer of the committee, causes Bukarov to fall into a nervous breakdown. Fetisov promptly helps him out of the room and arranges a WELL-DESERVED vacation for him. Walking back into the committee, Bondarchuk promptly tells Fetisov to pull Bukarov out of the case, Fetisov refuses. Bondarchuk then starts to threaten Fetisov... only for Fetisov to reveal that he had Bondarchuk investigated, knows about his homosexuality and has ample evidence which he will gladly give to Bondarchuk's wife if he doesn't back off from persecuting Bukarov. Bondarchuk never bothers Bukarov again, and Fetisov is eventually made the leader of the investigative committee, leading to the heartwarming moment below. HIGH FIVE!!!
  • The very last scene before the credits...just...wow.
  • Bukhanovsky's courage.
  • "He considers you as a men of iron will."
  • The confession scene is Bukhanovsky's CMOA.
• Crowning Moment of Heartwarming / Tear Jerker: Burakov, early in the movie, asks the committee for the investigation to provide manpower, computers, access to the FBI for help and to warn the populace of the threat. The Communist Party denies all of this help, (almost) breaking Burakov. Later in the movie, Bukarov is made in charge of the committee, and not only does Fetisov manage to get Burakov all the help he needs, he also tells him that he got in contact with the FBI in Quantico, and a teacher there is using Burakov's investigation of the Rostov Ripper as an example of what an excellent policeman does in such an investigation, finishing with the statement that the teacher said that if he was the killer, the last person he'd want tailing him is Burakov. Burakov promptly breaks out in tears, and so will you.
• High Octane Nightmare Fuel
• Tear Jerker: Burakov's investigation takes its toll so badly that he even starts having nightmares, and in a truly heartbreaking scene, he snaps awake from a nightmare and runs out his bedroom door. His wife follows him, only to see him embracing his children while crying openly.
  • As part of the committee's meddling on the investigation, they force Burakov to apprehend known homosexuals as suspects. One of the arrested is a boy in his teens, and Burakov pleads with Fetisov to let the boy go, since he's too young to be a suspect, to which Fetisov agrees. When Bukarov goes to the boy's cell, the boy has hung himself. Bukarov slowly pulls him down and puts him on the cell's bed, the body heavy with the weight of his conscience in (albeit involuntarily) having caused a death as a result of his investigation.
  • During a moment of frustration, Bukarov says that he'd rather find three bodies than none at all, since it gives him more to investigate. This statement comes back to haunt him, since he is ratted out in truly Orwellian fashion and made to stand before the committee by Bondarchuk. Bondarchuk attacks him with his own words, and an already stressed out Burakov breaks down and cries. Bondarchuk is mortified, saying that he can't believe the man entrusted with the safety of his children is crying. Asshole.
  • After finding one of the last victims, one of the undercover policemen starts banging his head against a tree in frustration, having unknowingly let Chikatilo go earlier after he committed the murder. As Bukarov goes to comfort him, we learn it's not simple survivor's guilt: the victim was his cousin's daughter.