‘Evilenko’ (2004) 4K Blu-Ray Review: A Brilliant, Overlooked Performance by Malcolm McDowell

There’s no denying that Malcolm McDowell is a brilliant actor, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a rough patch. A man has to work, and some of the projects he chose were obviously done to earn a paycheck. There’s nothing wrong with that; the man has to eat, but when a project comes along that’s worthy of his talent, he really digs in. One such project is the 2004 horror/thriller Evilenko.

I had skipped over the film during its initial release, and now, having seen it, shame on me. Written and directed by David Grieco, Evilenko is getting a new life, thanks to a Blu-ray and 4K release from Unearthed Films.

Andrej Romanovic Evilenko (Malcolm McDowell) is a devout communist making a living as a schoolteacher in Kyiv. After an incident where he assaults one of his students, Evilenko is forced out, leaving him with nothing but his wife. The school assault may have been a failure, but he’s been slaughtering women and children for years, evading prosecution.

One cop, Vadim Lesiev (Marton Csokas), who has a family of his own, grows obsessed with the brutal deaths. His investigation leads him on a dark journey to find out who this killer is and bring him to justice. There’s something different about Evilenko; his victims seem to come to him, but whatever it is, Lesiev will stop at nothing to end it.

Despite flaws in pacing and story structure, Evilenko has one major asset working in its favor: Malcolm McDowell. At that point in his career, McDowell didn’t have any strong roles coming his way he could dig into. This character allowed him to create a character you despise yet somehow connect with. I don’t sympathize with him, but he’s a fully developed human being with strong beliefs and convictions he stands behind, as wrong as they may be.

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The opening scene pushes some serious boundaries, leaving you disgusted, but it sets the uneasy tone that permeates the rest of the film. The 4K transfer offers a crisp image, but the color is dialed back to deliver this haunting portrait of a real-life monster.

Marton Csokas, as the focused detective, brings a much-needed balance to the picture. I’m definitely disappointed in myself for never having given the film a chance before now.

The 2-disc limited collector’s edition of Evilenko includes the 4K edition of the film and the standard Blu-ray. It includes special features like a brand-new commentary from McDowell and Grieco, a look at the true story that inspired the film, cast and crew interviews, an archival commentary, a photo gallery, a trailer, and more.

The film has an original score by the legendary Angelo Badalamenti and songs by the late Delores O’Riordin.

If you’ve never seen Evilenko, I can’t recommend it enough, even if it’s just to witness an artist like McDowall give a performance that has been sadly overlooked for far too long.

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