Canadian Actor, Donald Sutherland (father of Kiefer Sutherland) has died.
His best performance was in "Citizen X" (1995) as a district head of the KGB in the Soviet Union in the TRUE story of the hunt for the USSR's first serial Rapist/Killer, Andrei Chikatilo, for which he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
It is a hard, hard movie to watch (due to the content) but certainly is one of the best I've ever seen and (by far) the best thing HBO has ever spawned.
This movie is as accurate as Hollywood ever gets, taking the case apart and watching it unfold year after horrible, frustrating year.
Although the makers must show a great deal, they used a very restrained hand. Yet the content intensifies in graphic nature as it progresses, which actually is very useful to display how serial killers intensify in their behavior if they are not caught and motivates us emotionally to get this monster caught!
It is NOT for Sensitive viewers or the faint of heart, but a very well made movie in every respect.
MY Rating:
8/10
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Donald Sutherland is also well know for his wonderful depiction of dad, Calvin Jarret, in the movie "Ordinary People" which won Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Redford), Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton) etc, etc, at the 1981 Academy Awatds.
It is the story of the aftermath on a family after the accidental death of their oldest son (and the subsequent attempted suicide of their younger son) as they try and rebuild their family.
Mary Tyler Moore took the limelight for this movie because she gave a gripping performance as the distant, controlling mother and Timothy Hutton was equally powerful as the broken son devastated by the death of his beloved older brother. However, I learned later that Dick Van Dyke was originally cast to play the father which made me reconsider Donald's performance. His character (and performance) is what anchors this movie as he quietly goes through it trying to understand his small family and his own grief. It would have been a VERY different movie without him.
It is also a difficult movie to watch because of its deeply emotional content but also receives my
8/10 Rating
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MY criteria for someone being a great actor? Versatility and Longevity. So to Donald Sutherland I say,
"Well done. Take a bow,"
