the death of stalin
Director: Armando Iannucci (in the loop)
Starring: steve buscemi, jeffrey tambor, Simon russell beale, and jason isaacs
REVIEWER: Luke williams
The Death of Stalin follows the last days of the Soviet dictator and the chaos that ensues as those closest to him struggle for power in the days following his death.
The story takes place just as Stalin dies and covers the ensuing chaos of the funeral and succession plans. This film makes you laugh at things you probably shouldn’t find amusing, but it simply can’t be helped!
The witty dialogue is drier than yesterday’s bread ration. Geoffrey Tambor (Georgy Malenkov) plays his bumbling idiot role to perfection (he does have a lot experience with this), and it works brilliantly as he finds himself to be the new communist party leader after Stalin passes away. The character develops through the course of the film so that he becomes more useful. The board members of the party do their best to outplay, outmanoeuvre, and manipulate each other for their own political gain, all while staying loyal to the party.
As a political parody this film has plenty of merit and is worthy of attention and will keep you entertained and laughing most of the way through. The second half of the film is not as convincing as the first, as it loses some momentum. This is the only criticism I can offer (unless wildly random accents from actors portraying Russians is an issue). Fortunately, the good will generated from the first half will keep you going to the end
The Death of Stalin will likely be the best political parody you've see in a long time.
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The Death of Stalin is available on DVD and digital from all good disc and digital retailers.
