Stalin Administration or Trump Administration? What’s the difference?

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By Tom Pacak



I have not seen Armando Iannucci’s other works (In The Loop, Veep, Alan Partidge) but some research has shown me he has a knack for political satire.  His film “The Death of Stalin” certainly shows that. The film follows the aftermath and utter chaos that came when Soviet revolutionary and politician Joseph Stalin died. Since it’s release, the film has been banned in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The film picks up in 1953 with Joseph Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) requesting a recorded performance of a Mozart recital. The performance has gone terribly wrong with the concert having to be restaged, replacing of the conductor who passed out and bribing the lead pianist Maria Yudina (Olga Kurylenko). After the performance, Maria sends Joseph Stalin a poison pen letter telling him how he has ruined the country and hopes that he kicks the bucket. While reading the letter, Stalin laughs at how ridiculous the letter sounds and is paralyzed by a cerebral hemorrhage. This death alerts several members of Stalin’s committee. All who are trying to replace the brutal leader.

The funny thing about these characters is none of them speak Russian. My favorite casting in the film is Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev the Moscow Party Head who is in charge of running Stalin’s funeral. We get Jeffrey Tambor as Gerogy Malenkov, the dictator’s deputy who has no idea what the hell is going on; Simon Russell Beale shows up as Lavenity Beria the chief Soviet security and known rapist/murderer; the hilarious Jason Isaacs shows up as the leader of the Russian army. Rupert Friend is truly amazing as Stalin’s son who hasn’t fallen far from his dad’s tree and hilariously resembles a Trump Jr.  All of the characters in this film are truly awful human beings. None of them care about the people of the country but instead will do anything to achieve power.

Armando Iannucci has given us the first political film in the Trump Era. The film brilliantly holds up a mirror to what we are currently dealing with now. With having lunatic leaders (Trump and Kim Jon-Un), the film helps show a scary image of our reality while also making us laugh our asses off.

Note: Now Playing in theaters

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 4 stars

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