The Death of Stalin (2017)

The Death of Stalin (2017)

6/10

Starring

Steve Buscemi

Simon Russell Beale

Paddy Considine

Rupert Friend

Jason Isaacs

Directed by Armando Iannucci

The movie is a political satire black comedy that totally makes a mockery of Joseph Stalin, mostly focused on his death. The movie takes no prisoners in its portrayal, and even Stalin’s death is portrayed as pathetic and sad. Directed by Armando Iannucci, who also worked on the screenplay, the film dives deep into the fictitious portrayal of the power struggle that happened after Stalin’s death in 1953.

The comedy really picks up when Stalin dies, and the plot to take power is where the actors truly bring their comedic strengths to the forefront.

What brought me to watch this film was seeing Iannucci’s work in the Charles Dickens adaptation of David Copperfield, which was titled The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). Another film of his I would recommend you check out.

The movie begins with the bizarre depiction of Russia under Stalin, where you can easily spot probable historical inaccuracies. We see how lists of people to be killed are being handed out and executed, as well as how killing people to maintain the idea of Russia’s strength is done with little care for their families. The men in power use their influence to extort the people, sexually abuse women, and commit all sorts of horrible acts. Stalin’s death gives these men more power, as all the members of the Central Committee scramble to become the next leader of the country.

The movie’s main villain is Beria (Simon Russell Beale), who, after Stalin’s death, takes over things in the background. He arranges for Malenkov to become the new leader of the party while controlling things behind the scenes. He issues a new list of people to be killed, replacing Stalin’s. He also does whatever he can to get the members of the committee to align with him.

Beria makes an enemy of Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), who also wants to seize control, but Beria is always one step ahead. The movie mainly focuses on how things play out between Beria and Khrushchev, showing how they outmaneuver each other. Who wins in the end is something you’ll get to witness and enjoy as the movie progresses.

The film was a critical success upon its release but was banned in Russia, as you would expect given its portrayal of the country. At the box office, the movie wasn’t much of a success, but despite that, it’s a great film to watch. It’s fun and offers an interesting glimpse into what Russia was like.