One of the most delightful and fanciful looks one could ask for at what occurred when Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin passed away and left a power vacuum in his country arrives in the form of a new film on DVD and digital formats, The Death of Stalin.
Stalin ruled over Soviet Russia with an iron fist and notoriously killed tens of millions of his own people. Needless to say, his own inner circle was terrified of the man and would always do anything in their power to stay in his good graces. That becomes strikingly clear in the first act of The Death of Stalin and makes what happens next all the more powerfully insane and profoundly hilarious. There are dark comedies, and then there is this gem.
Adrian McLoughlin is the titular leader and although we don’t get much of him other than a dinner table scene with his close comrades, all that we need to know occurs from his performance and the prose he’s given by writer-director Armando Iannucci (Veep)—who also shares writing credit with five others.
What else fuels this fear-filled fascinating with the leader is what the other characters say about him after his 1953 demise and the air is clear to, well, clear the air about the future of their nation that is in the middle of the most frigid of Cold Wars with the United States of America.
Among that gang of souls—aka the Council of Ministers—who seek to figuratively wear the crown are Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), Vyacheslav Molotov (Monty Python’s Michael Palin) and Lavrenti Beria (Simon Russell Beale). Making things more complicated is that although this is a socialist dictatorship, and nothing says that Stalin’s kin are entitled to lead the government, his son Vasily (scene stealer Rupert Friend) certainly makes his presence felt—even if he is painted as slightly off-kilter.
There is also the issue of maintaining control of a post-war population who on one hand has been living in fear, and on the other hand could be likely to surge towards another revolution like the one that changed that country’s history in 1919.
Believe it or not, The Death of Stalin is based on a comic book. Since we are living in a golden era of sorts when it comes to bringing such things to the big screen, it should surprise no one that this film is a gem. Peppered with hilarity and the haunting reality of life under repressive rule and all that entails, Iannucci’s film pops with intrigue, simultaneously unpredictable and volatile alliances—and a race for power that would make Machiavelli proud.
Tambor is perfectly cast and embodies his role that impeccably embodies the paranoia that exists when a supreme leader leaves a supreme hole in leadership from their death. Beale is brilliant as the feared chief of the secret police. His Beria is about as cunning and conniving as characters come. The actor breathes a lifeline into his role that has us strangely finding an affinity with him that he absolutely doesn’t deserve. Both the character and the actor behind it are just that good at their work. It is something.
Like he did in A Fish Called Wanda, Palin provides much laughs, sure, but also an element of that character who is clearly firmly in command of his aspirations. He firmly wants a place at the table that determines his country’s future. But, he does not necessarily possess the passion to be the one in charge. Molotov is no pushover, by any means. After all, it is his name that is used as the moniker to describe that makeshift incendiary device that has started many a revolution. For example, it was him during World War II that sent Soviet forces into Finland when they refused to surrender.
The star here is Buscemi. As history tells us, his Khrushchev would wiggle his way up the power totem pole and become the Soviet nation’s next authoritarian leader. Remember when he pounded his shoe on his desk at the UN or told the Americans “we will bury you?” In the hands of the veteran actor, there is a lightness to him that masks a cunning nature that is exactly what this moment in history required in the United Socialist Soviet Republic. His actions and demeanor produce much of the film’s finest laughs, hardly a surprise given Buscemi’s pristine past work.
For history buffs, fans of comedy or any of the actors that comprise this stellar ensemble, The Death of Stalin is as joyous as a White Russian on a sweltering day.
When it comes to bonus features, there is only one—well, in addition to the usual suspects that are deleted scenes. Dictators, Murderers, and Comrades…Oh My! is worthy of the greatest of compliments to the cinematic experience of the movie itself. It puts the spotlight on the stellar cast and the filmmaker behind the movie magic with insightful interviews that both enlighten and entertain.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B