060 REVIEW
Directed by
ALEX GIBNEY
Released
13 DECEMBER
ANTICIPATION.
One-man documentary machine
Alex Gibney can be a little hit-
and-miss.
ENJOYMENT.
This fascinating profile of an
ex-oligarch works as a damning
indictment of modern Russia.
IN RETROSPECT.
Really feels like Gibney got his
hands dirty with this one.
iven his uneven output of recent years
– the Rolling Stones, Fela Kuti and Lance
Armstrong films being cases in point – it is
something of a joy (and relief ) to find Oscar-winning
documentarian Alex Gibney back firing on all cylinders
and reconnecting with his political muse. Using the
journey of fallen oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky as
a lens through which to explore the current state of
Russia and its faux democracy – and in turn, America’s
and the UK’s – Gibney reasserts two of his most vital
qualities: his impartiality and fastidious fact-checking.
The result is easily his strongest work in years.
Winning Khodorkovsky’s trust without
compromising his own integrity, Gibney enlists the
help of former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin
Sixsmith in retracing the grim reality of Russia post-
glasnost. In the wake of the collapse of the Iron
Curtain, the figure of Boris Yeltsin’s local hero loomed
large, tearing down the wall to create a different sort of
capitalism that was fatally flawed. Seven opportunistic
businessmen quickly relieved dazzled Russians
of their government-issued vouchers at bargain-
basement prices, only to use them elsewhere to buy up
the nation’s most lucrative companies. Gibney dubs it
“gangster capitalism”. It left the few extremely rich and
the many very poor.
Not long after that, Khodorkovsky and the oligarchs
controlled 50 per cent of the Russian economy,
including TV stations and oilfields. When a sick
Yeltsin played a wicked game to stay in power,
borrowing money from the oligarchs that his
government couldn’t hope to repay, the malevolent
seven reasserted their grip on power, halting any returnto communism and ensuring misery for millions of
everyday Russians.
Khodorkovsky’s own journey – from sociopathic
businessman to incarcerated scapegoat to reformed
criminal (he spent 10 years behind bars) – is told
with panache and flourishes of whimsy. The film
is rich in detail, yet is neatly presented as a political
thriller. Ample footage of the farcical show trials of
Khodorkovsky are here, as is the media’s coverage
of Putin’s so-called “election theatre” campaign of
recent years. Only a brief reference to the threat to US
democracy is needed to bring the reality home.
Today, as he approaches two decades in power,
Putin has his own cronies in place. He’s been popular
with the people for bringing the oligarchs to heel
(Putin happily quotes Stalin to push the point
home), yet a shift in public opinion sees a reformed
Khodorkovsky emerge as an unlikely hero of the
people, albeit with severely depleted influence. Putin,
we are told, views Khodorkovsky as an equal, meaning
the latter’s life remains in danger. Khodorkovsky
believes Putin’s time in power is limited.
Like its subject, the film isn’t without its flaws.
Gibney’s voiceover slips into cliché from time
to time. The contemporary narrative in London
could also be more fully formed. And we don’t get
to hear from Khodorkovsky’s family, despite them
being referenced. But these are minor quibbles.
Overall, Citizen K presents a wildly entertaining and
timely picture of a global issue in as succinct a way
as possible. It carries its universal themes efficiently
without wearing them too earnestly on its sleeve.
ED GIBBSCitizen K
G