THE DEATH OF STALIN; A Professional Scotsman Review #14

#SPOILER FREE# Watch Trailer

"God is on your side? Is He a Conservative? The Devil's on my side, he's a good Communist." -Stalin to Churchill

Before I get started, comrade, please take a moment to observe the rather wonderful poster for The Death Of Stalin. It's truly a dying art, the art of a decent poster - I saw the DVD cover for Passengers in the Co-op today and it was just a big close up of J-Law and Chris Pratt's face. Hilariously uninspired. At the very least the poster above conveys a sense of tone and actually aesthetically looks decent. I'd probably put it on my wall if I had it. But I digress comrade, and as digressions are likely to get me up against the wall in short order, I best get on with it.

"I'm finished. I trust no one, not even myself." -Stalin to Kruschev

What a cast! Michael Palin back in a feature film? Far out. He plays a similar character to the one he played in the dystopian Brazil (10), itself inspired by the bleak misery of Communist Russia. Whether this is a smart call back or a fluke I loved seeing him on the big screen. His presence obviously nods towards the film's more comedic aspirations but, while it is a comedy, there's also a correct sense of threat and terror with much of the humour derived from the ridiculous circumstances of stressed men operating under constant threat of arbitrary death. I know the historical period around the death of Stalin and the unseemly scrabble for power in his colossal wake fairly well, and like many, have a slightly morbid fascination with the whole regime. So I was always going to see it - yet I was keenly aware of how it might play to someone with zero interest simply looking for a funny/entertaining movie...

"He can't even shoot straight." -Stalin on his son's failed suicide attempt.

...to which I'd suggest the film won't work particularly well. It's undeniably funny almost from the start, with a free form existence, moving from one character driven set piece to another in an intimate format that would probably work wonderfully as a play, yet could lack focus to the uninitiated. We're not really given a hero to root for until around the middle of the film where Steve Buschemi's Kruschev emerges as the most sympathetic, moral and indeed smartest of our squabbling Central Committee by the end... yet even his character is indirectly responsible for the death of Russian peasants. You know it's not a mainstream film when the man you're most rooting for is a bald, greying, overweight, ill fittingly dressed Steve Buscemi. And I suppose it's this single minded (almost Stalin-esque?) refusal to compromise that I enjoyed so much. Yet as much as it was great to see Palin back in a supporting role it was absolutely amazing to see Buscemi back in what is essentially a lead role since... you know I can't ever remember him being a lead? Sure, Jason Isaacs strolls in at the third act and almost steals the entire film as a slightly-more-dashing-than-he-was-in-real-life commander of the Russian forces, Zhukov. But it's Buscemi's baby, and like the real life machinations where his subordinates fought for power after the General Secretary's death, Buscemi steals the show almost without you realising it. In case I'm not being clear in my eulogising - I think he should be up for an Oscar.

"Why did you beat me so hard?" - Stalin to his Mother in her later years.

Jeffrey Tambor is his usual drolly unlikable self as the apparent heir to Stalin's crown - the amusingly ineffective and cowardly Malenkov - who has the best line in the film: "When I said 'No, problem' what I meant was: 'No! Problem.'" Yet it's Simon Russel Beale as the scarily contemptible Lavrenty Beria who provides formidable foil for Buscemi's ambitious Kruschev. I understand Beale is primarily a theatre actor and provides a welcome, sinister threat to everyone. However, the true scale of Beria's awfulness is only hinted at on screen. Stalin himself called him "our Himmler" to Roosevelt and in real life he not only killed literally millions to satisfy Stalin's insane drive to purge his own people - but raped and murdered dozens of woman, who's bodies were only discovered in the garden of his accommodation years later. Not very funny is it? And that's where I'd sometimes wonder if this was a correct period to be so ruthlessly satirized. For example - would such an approach work so effectively if we tackled, say, the Nazi high command in such a similar fashion? Or Chaiman Mao's regieme? As someone who takes very little offense in art I'd probably be delighted to watch both approaches but it certainly caused me to wonder why horror and comedy are often paired as concepts.

"I know that after my death a pile of rubbish will be heaped on my grave, but the wind of History will sooner or later sweep it away without mercy." -Stalin to Malenkov

FINAL ANALYSIS: It's educational, as the witty and intelligent director Armando Ianucci's film and television work always are, even though events and timeframes are clearly compressed and dramatized. Yet even within the farce you get a genuine sense of what drove each player and how utterly ridiculous situations could arise as in some cases it seemed as if power was to be bestowed on the first person to arrive on the scene. But it has so many characters that inevitably not all are fully fleshed out and if you don't at least have a passing interest in the period then I seriously doubt it'll be your glass of vodka. It's smart and funny and when it really works it'll haunt you when you realise that governments probably haven't changed their style all that much since 1953.

SCORE: Think carefully whether you want to see it first but if you do you'll enjoy it very much. A solid 8.

ALTERNATE TITLE: The Rebirth Of Steve Buscemi