Plunged into the icy grip of 1950s Soviet paranoia, Child 44 follows Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy, brooding masterfully), a loyal MGB agent whose world unravels when child murders—taboo in Stalin’s “perfect” paradise—threaten his family and faith. Noomi Rapace shines as his fierce wife Raisa, while Gary Oldman chews scenery as a grizzled general. Directed by Daniel Espinosa, it’s a gritty hunt across frozen rails, blending serial-killer chills with totalitarian dread.

The book’s pulse-pounding premise hooks you early, with Hardy’s raw intensity carrying the load through bleak famines and purges. But pacing drags like a Siberian winter, and accents wobble into caricature. It’s more historical gut-punch than edge-of-seat thriller—Russia even banned it for “Mordor vibes.” Solid for Hardy fans craving dark drama, but don’t expect non-stop suspense. Worth a chilly night in, if you can handle the moral freeze.

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