The Death of Stalin

2018 • 106 minutes

About this movie

The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this audacious comedy is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast.

Ratings and reviews

Was that supposed to be funny? I can't remember the last time I didn't finish a movie, but this one I quit halfway through and yet other reviewers said it was the second half that was the let down!

What started as a well acted, mildly amusing show with outrageously british accents, rapidly went downhill near the end into "Not worth it" territory. Skip it.

It was really good overall. Requires some knowledge of the ussr and stalins reign of terror. Did drop standards towards the end