Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa proved he had an eye for the thriller genre with 2012’s Safe House, and now the director has a meaty subject matter on his lap with the upcoming adaptation, Child 44.
Based on Tom Rob Smith’s eponymous novel, the story centers around Soviet Russia circa 1953, a time when the Cold War was beginning to spread its tentacles and corruption was rife. Playing the part of Leo Demidov is Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy, a secret police agent who soon finds himself in political hot war after he refuses to denounce his wife, Rasia (Noomi Rapace).
Thereafter, the pair find themselves exiled from the country and crossing paths with Gary Oldman’s General Mikhail Nesterov, who together must uncover the government conspiracy surrounding a number of child murders in the country.
With a star-studded cast that also encompasses Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, and Vincent Cassel, not to mention a venerable director behind the lens in the form of Espinosa, Child 44 is quickly becoming one of the most eye-catching thrillers of the year. And it’s set to arrive soon, too, with a release date currently pegged for April 17. To whet your appetite, you can get acquainted with the leading trio through the gallery below.
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 Vasil [Joel Kinnaman], who insists “There is no crime in Paradise.”
