Can a dramatization still be considered “true crime” if the facts of the case have been exaggerated? It’s something that has plagued most “true crime” films and others that are often “loosely” based on crimes and events that have actually happened. Embellishment isn’t new, as even journalists will editorialize a story to create something more engaging and sensational. The extent to which true stories are elaborated on is something that makes sense when you think about the transfer from one medium to another, like from book to film, but the liberties that filmmakers can take sometimes create something different altogether. For better or worse. Unearthed Films have dipped their toes in the 4K UHD waters for the first time for their release of “Evilenko,” which is both written and directed by David Grieco. Is this true crime adaptation more fact or more fiction?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Based on the shocking true story of the former Soviet Union's most notorious serial killer, this riveting, haunting film explores the mind of a true monster; a man who mutilated and devoured more than 50 children. For years, Andrei Evilenko eluded the obsessive Detective Lesiev and the psychiatric profiler Aron Richter. Spurred on by his rabid fury at the gradual crumbling of his precious Soviet Union, Evilenko is a man who will live, die, and kill as a communist.

HOW IS IT?

In the annals of true crime, three offenses (arguably) stand as the most egregious; pedophilia, rape, and cannibalism. On their own, these are heinous offenses, but combined they become even more sinister as one considers the implications. “Evilenko” is in essence, a trifecta of the three most malevolent crimes known to man combined under the actions of one individual. Writer/director David Grieco adapts his book, “The Communist Who Ate Children,” to the screen with Malcolm McDowell taking the lead as Andreji Evilenko, an invented character who is to represent the real-life Andrei Chikatilo for which the film’s crimes are based on. McDowell’s performance is a show-stealer as the cold and brutal Evilenko, but the liberties the film takes with the facts and certain narrative choices make this hard to take completely seriously.

Contextually, “Evilenko” takes place during the fall of the Soviet Union when communism is crumbling and the country’s culture is fracturing from the identity crisis. Andrej Evilenko is a die-hard communist, and this whittling down of his only identity alongside a history of mistreatment and manipulation leads to him becoming the monster he is portrayed as, as is evident within the first 5 minutes of the film with one of its most challenging scenes. McDowell is downright terrifying in this role as he channels a person who is so damaged by their upbringing and indoctrination into identity politics that they have lost grip on reality. It’s chilling to see McDowell switch from affable to aggressive in the blink of an eye, and he brings gravitas to the performance which otherwise would run the risk of being either too sleazy or too schlocky. Spanning over a decade, the story focuses on both Evilenko and his growing crimes, as well as the inspector assigned to handle his case, Detective Vadim Lesiev (Marton Csokas). The cat-and-mouse procedural elements split time with Andrej slowly losing his grip on reality as his crimes become more frequent and violent. It all comes to a head after Evilenko is accused of murdering and/or eating over 55 women and children. Except, that’s 21 more than he was convicted of and one of the many embellishments to this story that works to increase the salaciousness while eroding trust around the validity of the narrative.

Taking liberties with the truth is par for the course in most dramatizations, and “Evilenko” confidently wears those embellishments on its bloody sleeve. The movie is adapted from a book that writer/director David Grieco wrote about Andrei Chikatilo, and it makes one wonder if the book itself is filled with the same elaborations as the movie is calling to question the authenticity of the title, “true crime.” Is it still “true crime” when you invent another 40% of the murders that occurred, and how is an audience supposed to separate fiction from fact? This is most apparent later in the film when we see Liseiv trying to manipulate Andrej into confessing leading to them both disrobing and embracing each other. Even within the context of the narrative, this choice feels symbolic of the liberties taken with the truth at the expense of being transgressive for the sake of shock. It also muddies the intent of the film’s other thesis, the role that national communist identity played in essentially manipulating and psychologically damaging an entire generation of people. The allusions to scientists wanting to study Andrej’s brain to figure out why it led to such a disturbing outcome don’t land with the kind of emphasis they should because Andrej is presented as irredeemable because of how outrageous his actions are. He isn’t characterized like Hannibal Lecter displaying an above-average intelligence, he’s just a pedophile cannibal who wasn’t apprehended due to simply falling through the cracks of societal change. It isn’t explored for more than a few scenes how or to what extent the communist party protected Andrej, and that’s arguably more interesting than the crimes themselves. The total of “Evilenko” is a film that is confused about what it is, what it’s trying to say, and why it should matter. Despite a strong performance from McDowell, the outlandish decisions made to shock rather than inform, the murkiness of truth, and the lack of a POV make “Evilenko” a good, but not great entry in the canon of fucked up history.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

This is the first 4K UHD discs that Unearthed Films has put out, and we are happy to report that it’s easily one of the best-looking releases we’ve seen from them so far! Usually, the visual elements on their releases are either upscaled versions or previous transfers, but for “Evilenko” the team was able to get a hold of the original camera negatives and with the added flourish of HDR10 to really bring out the best of the 2160p 4K resolution. There is no Dolby Vision, but overall the presentation is crisp and clean with no signs of wear and tear observed. The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and images from the release are used throughout this review.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

While the visual presentation is impressive, the audio doesn’t have the advantage of a brand new transfer to augment the new 4K UHD release. The 5.1 DTS-HD surround sound track doesn’t take full advantage of the rear channels to create an immersive surround sound experience. The dialogue comes through clearly and isn’t competing with the other sounds too much, but it’s a small miss in what is otherwise a great A/V package.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

Unearthed Films pulled out all the stops for this release and it shows in the breadth and volume of special features included. The first one we took in was the Evilenko Dossier which acts like a hybrid documentary about the real-life killer and a promotion for the film itself. It splits time looking at the history of the actual killer, and then looking at different aspects of the production to see how they are handled. It’s a bit messy in the delivery as it jumps around to different topics in non-chronological order, and perhaps the most compelling part about this is hearing from Grieco on why he made the changes he did. He’s not bashful about his embellishments and defends them less as a point of historical fact and more as a part of his artistic vision. The facts of the real case also make one question just why Grieco would want to embellish things like he did given that the most unnerving parts of the story are kept intact, just exacerbated in volume (like how Chikatilo admitted and was convicted of 34 homicides, not 55 as the movie puts it). As a historical document, it’s a bit underwhelming and works better as a promotional piece for the film which is clearly at least part of the inspiration for it in the first place.

The next feature we reviewed was David Grieco and Malcolm McDowell on 'Evilenko' a 69-minute interview from 2021. This was a fascinating addition to the supplemental feature set as it focused on a Zoom interview between Yuri Schevchuk, a professor of Ukranian studies at Columbia University, and Grieco and McDowell as part of a Ukranian Film Club. The emphasis of the club, and more directly this interview was to take stock of how Ukraine is presented in films across the world and increase exposure to Ukrainian films as well. Grieco goes into detail on how and why he pursued this story but also sheds light on McDowell’s involvement and how vital it was for the film. McDowell laments on how he too was taken aback by how vile the opening of the film is but trusted Grieco and his vision for what he was trying to accomplish with an unflinching look at a very evil individual. The most illuminating part of the interview was when Yuri asked Grieco why he took a story that happened in Russia and then changed the location to Ukraine, particularly based on how awful the person at the focus of the movie is. Grieco states that it was largely a Russian producer who made the call, saying that he didn’t want Russia to be represented this way so Grieco opted to shift the location to Ukraine. It’s a fascinating look at how Russian aggression takes shape in other aspects such as entertainment, and while this is not unique to Russia, it is quite timely considering our current context.

Special Features

4K ULTRA HD + BLU-RAY | LIMITED COLLECTOR'S EDITION CONTENTS
NEW 4K restoration of the original camera negative by Unearthed Films
Blu-ray of the feature film and all new extras
DISC ONE – FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
NEW 4K restoration of the original camera negative by Unearthed Films presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in HDR
NEW 2024 Commentary with writer/director David Grieco and actor Malcolm McDowell
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Optional English SDH Subtitles
DISC TWO – FEATURE & EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
NEW 4K restoration of the original camera negative by Unearthed Films presented in 1080p HD in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio
NEW 2024 Commentary with writer/director David Grieco and actor Malcolm McDowell
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Optional English SDH Subtitles
An 81-minute cast and crew interview collection including writer/director David Grieco, actor Malcolm McDowell, and composer Angelo Badalamenti
'Evilenko Dossier: Andrei Chikatilo' A 27-minute look at the real-life basis for the character of Evilenko
David Grieco and Malcolm McDowell on 'Evilenko' A 69 Minute interview from 2021
Photo Gallery
Original Trailer

LAST RITES

As a piece of historical fiction, “Evilenko” takes too many liberties, and is too much of a procdedural to be a full-on exploitation film. This identity crisis dulls what is a showstopping performance from McDowell, but fans of this film will enjoy the plethora of supplemental features and the outstanding 4K transfer!

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD Entertainment for providing a review copy for the crypt! Evilenko is available now and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!

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Nov 4, 2020

Matthew Orozco