Next up for your consideration and released in September is Child 44, a dark thriller about a series of gruesome murders in Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union being investigated by a disgraced former member of the Soviet Union's Secret Police Force. It is directed by Daniel Espinosa and features one of the best cast lists of the year which includes Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Vincent Cassel, Joel Kinnaman and Paddy Considine to name but a few. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Tom Rob Smith and is based on the true life crimes of Andrei Chikatilo, also known as the Rostov Ripper, who was convicted and executed for the murder of 52 woman and children. Hardy plays investigating officer Leo Demidov and, if the film is anything like the book, it will not only explore the brutal murders but larger themes like the paranoia of the age, the actions of the Secret Police, treatment of the mentally ill and the education system. Expect Se7en filtered through a glass of un-distilled throat burning Vodka. For a smoother crime thriller more akin to a glass of Baileys then look no further than The Equalizer, also released in September. Based on the Edward Woodward Eighties TV series, ex-government agent turned vigilante for the helpless Robert McCall is now played by Denzel Washington who decides to help a young hooker played by Chloe Grace Moretz and gets heat from some nasty Russian mobsters. Think The A-Team meets Taxi Driver with a killer theme tune.
