The Death of Stalin

Armando Iannucci is most familiar to TV audiences on both sides of the pond for his cutting political satire of the likes of "Veep" and "The Thick of It", with his only previous foray into directing movies being "In the Loop":  a spin-off of the latter series.  Lovers of his work will know that he sails very close to the wind on many occasions, such that  watching can be more of a squirm-fest than enjoyment. It should come as no surprise then that his new film – "The Death of Stalin" – follows that same pattern, but transposed into the anarchic and violent world of 1950's Russia. Based on a French comic strip, the film tells the farcical goings on surrounding the last days of the great dictator in 1953. Stalin keeps distributing his "lists" of undesirables, most of who will meet unpleasant ends before the end of the night. But as Stalin suddenly shuffles off his mortal coil, the race is on among his fellow commissariat members as to who will ultimately succeed him. The constitution dictates that Georgy Malenkov (an excellently vain and vacillating Jeffrey Tambor) secedes but, as a weak man, the job is clearly soon going to become vacant again and spy- chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale) and Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) are jostling for position.  (No spoilers, but you'll never guess who wins!).  Colleagues including Molotov (Michael Palin) and Mikoyan (Paul Whitehouse) need to decide who to side with as the machinations around Stalin's funeral become more and more desperate. The film starts extremely strongly with the ever-excellent Paddy Considine ("Pride") playing a Radio Russia producer tasked with recording a classical concert, featuring piano virtuoso Maria Yudina (Olga Kurylenko, "Quantum of Solace"). A definition of paranoia in action! We then descend into the chaos of Stalin's Russia, with mass torture and execution colouring the comedy from dark-grey to charcoal- black in turns. There is definitely comedy gold in there:  Khrushchev's translation of his drunken scribblings from the night before (of things that Stalin found funny and - more importantly - things he didn't) being a high point for me. Stalin's children Svetlana (Andrea Riseborough, "Nocturnal Animals") and Vasily (Rupert Friend, "Homeland") add knockabout humour to offset the darker elements, and army chief Georgy Zhukov (Jason Isaacs, "Harry Potter") is a riot with a no-nonsense North-of-England accent. The film held my interest throughout, but the comedy is just so dark in places it leaves you on edge throughout. The writing is also patchy at times, with some of the lines falling to the ground as heavily as the dispatched Gulag residents. It's not going to be for everyone, with significant violence and gruesome scenes, but go along with the black comic theme and this is a film that delivers rewards. (For the graphical review of the movie, please visit bob-the-movie- man.com or One Mann's Movies on Facebook. Thanks).

You might think The Death of Stalin was a parody or a black comedy or a farce. We know that the actors are playing actual people some of whom lived until the late 1980s. The weird thing is the actual events depicted in the movie happened in some form. In real life, when Stalin was lying on the floor in his soiled pajamas after he suffered a stroke. They needed to call a meeting to decide whether to call a doctor. Stalin's personal physician was unavailable as he was being tortured at the time for suggesting Stalin needed more bed rest. Armando Iannucci mines comedy gold in an absurd, surreal, darkly violent tale of who wants to be the next leader of the Soviet Union. It is not a historical tale, it is a story of what can happen in any society where dogma and the bullet become the main currencies.

There's no avoiding truths rapidly passed over in this depiction of chaos following the death of an evil dictator. Stalin had charm...to those who were not his subjects and were never a threat to his authority. He fooled many so-called intellectuals in the West but everyone around him knew the truth, and, most managed to tip-toe over eggshells in order to stay alive. To thrive in such an environment requires a certain kind of callous ruthlessness...perfectly depicted with suitable crass humour here. The cast is perfectly chosen...each very accomplished actor adding their particular star dust. There's more than a single sittings' content in this film which deserves another viewing. Impressive and engaging story-telling based on real life events. Bravo all.

What makes this film special is its outstanding ensemble of character actors. The committee room scenes in particular are a riot of jockeying for position, snide remarks and politicking of the highest, or should that be lowest, order. Performers of this calibre could bring even the dullest script to life, but it so happens they have excellent material to work with here, and they rise to it like the thoroughbreds they are. British theatregoers will be familiar with names that are probably not at all known elsewhere: Dermot Crowley, Paul Chahidi and Karl Johnson are hugely respected in the UK for their distinguished careers on stage. Topping the lot is Simon Russell Beale, the current king of British classical acting, at last finding a film role that gives him an opportunity to show what he can do. He and Steve Buscemi are the central antagonists in THE DEATH OF STALIN, and it is a joy to watch them at each other's throats. Michael Palin, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend, Paddy Considine, Tom Brooke...We are truly spoilt.

The only laughs to be had are at a few witty turns of phrase or some of the dynamics between characters if looked at quite removed from the subject matter. Many of pieces are unsubstantiated myths trod out to create an absolutely unbelievable environment of chaos. Stalin seemingly had everyone who ever uttered his name murdered within minutes. Its well acted and directed. But deeply insulting to the intelligence among other things. If you believe half the rubbish in this film, how could you ever find it funny. The Russian revolution, the USSR and even Stalin deserve a better film to teach us. This film will unfortunately become part of the arsenal for everyone who likes to speak about things they know nothing about.

'The Death of Stalin' saw a really limited release in 2017 with very limited reviews and opinions. It's wide release around the world was in March of 2018, which means I can classify this as a 2018 film. I can predict this is going to be one of the best films this year. The picture was directed by Armando Iannucci who generally directed TV shows, however has received critical acclaim for his 2010 project In the Loop. After the Soviet Union dictator Joseph Stalin (who ruled Russia for the past 29 years) unexpectedly dies. His cabinet made most notably of Nikita Khrushchev, Georgy Malenkov and Vyacheslav Molotov is falling apart trying to figure out what direction the Soviet Union is going to go in next. Steve Buscemi plays Khrushchev, it's great seeing Buscemi in a leading role for a film again. He plays Khrushchev with enough sympathy but also an over the top and xany behaviour. This clearly is a parody of who we assume Khrushchev was. The film boasts a very interesting ensemble which includes: Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin and Simon Russell Beale. The majority of these actors are incredibly underrated and it's great seeing them get the opportunity to play unique and interesting characters. In particular I'm going to single out Simon Russell Beale and Jason Isaacs. Beale plays Lavrenti Beria, he is a member of Stalin's cabinet. His performance is truly diabolical, at first he is stone cold. He has no problem with sentencing people to death and laughing with it. He acts natural around horrible events which makes him very darkly funny. It is very obvious that he has his own ambitions. Isaacs is Field Marshal Zhukov, he is in charge of the Red Army. There is a sense of ruthlessness behind his eyes that makes him a force to be reckoned with. The film is really cleverly written, never afraid to drop f bombs and other curse words. What was interesting is that both Beria and Khrushchev are trying to paint themselves as the reformers. Their conflict is comical because they act like little children with constant bickering and no problem solving. A classic theme is when a leader dies the line between order and chaos disappears, anarchy arises within a land. The Death of Stalin offers an interesting spin on this idea as the afore order was the control of a dictator who was responsible for the death of millions. The camera work is fast and kinetic. It helps drawing the audience in and keeps them locked during the many conversation scenes. The biggest issue I had was with the character played by Olga Kurylenko. Without trying to spoil anything, there is an interesting character presented, however she doesn't seem to go anywhere. She is barely in the movie and didn't add much, this is my only flaw with the Death of Stalin. I highly recommend this film, however I must warn you this is not a drama. Many elements of this film that would generally be considered as atrocities are pulled for laughs here. If you're going to see this please keep the expectations on check. This is the closest thing we've had to a Monty Python's style of comedy.

This is an excellent film. And its treatment of the Stalin Era of the Soviet Union is both darkly humorous and actually very unflinching in its depicting the monsters and their monstrosities for what they were. I was worried that, in an attempt to extract humor from the situation that they might've glossed over just how monstrous the key characters actually were. To Iannucci and Schneider's credit however, there was absolutely no glossing over at all. Beria, for instance, is portrayed as every bit the monster in human form that he was - this, even as that portrayal is also made darkly and delightfully humorous at times. The whole cast played their parts well and played them "straight" - which only heightened the humor and the horror of what life was like under Stalin in the Soviet Union. Even the nominal "hero" of the tale, Nakita Khrushchev, is realistically portrayed as being just as conniving and callous and power hungry as everyone else. Buscemi would seem an odd choice for that particular role but he pulls it off with style and excellence. So too does Simon Russell Beale in his portrayal of Beria. This is a nicely done film with excellent production values, a great script, fine acting, excellent pacing, and a compelling tale that is well told. I highly recommend it!

The Death of Stalin is one of those films you will either love or just not get at all. Being someone with a big interest in Politics, and an interest in the events of the Soviet Union this was always going to be must watch. The material itself is almost frightening, some pretty horrific real life events happening, but performed in a way that you can't help but laugh at, albeit sometimes with a little dread. Superbly written as you'd expect by Armando Iannucci, if anyone knows political satire it's him! Steve Buscemi and Simon Russell Beale shine particularly. It's one of those films I want to see again. 9/10

Armando Iannucci has a reputation for comedy gold but, in my opinion, his gold definitely appears tarnished with this production. Despite having high production values and a wonderful cast, this film struggles to raise a cynical smirk. The cinema auditorium remained deathly silent - perhaps in embarrassment - not knowing quite what to make of this very uneven piece of work. Perhaps it was the way that the film lurched between Stalin's victims ears full of blood and the sporadic sound of shooting and an uninspired slapstick carrying of Stalin's ailing body that left the audience unsure of how to react. Whatever the reason, it didn't work. Simon Russell Beale excels as the casually evil Beria, but Michael Palin - who normally steals any scene - lacks his usual mischievous waspishness. Even they can't rescue this dark drama. The settings are very convincing, however. With uncertainty and few laughs, this ill-conceived concept failed to grab my interest and became only the second film that I have walked out of after an hour during the last fifteen years. It felt wrong to laugh during the violence.Tarantino and Bond are one genre - that is fictional violence and gore. Ultimately I felt that it was offensive to try to create laughs over a background of terror, torture and murder that actually happened and was an appalling time for humanity. What next. 'Holocaust - the Musical' ?

The Death of Stalin-360P