It\u2019s an odd experience, to find yourself thinking, \u201cI\u2019d really like to see more Putin.\u201d Yet that is what you\u2019ll likely feel during Olivier Assayas\u2019 long, broad-scoped and often plodding account of the man\u2019s rise to power and the remoulding of Russia into the rogue nation \u2014 sorry, \u201csovereign democracy\u201d \u2014 it is today. Adapted from a satirical Italian novel (by Giuliano da Empoli) about a fictional spin doctor loosely based on one-time First Deputy Chief Vladislav Surkov, The Wizard Of The Kremlin<\/em> is less concerned with the Russian President than the people who enabled his ascent amid the turmoil of the Soviet collapse, and consolidated his position through some pretty audacious political chicanery. In this sense, Assayas\u2019 film has value as a kind of semi-documentarian account of a geopolitically tumultuous era, and how the self-interest of oligarchs garrotted Russian democracy and created a surly, grey-faced monster. If you\u2019re not already aware of the details, it\u2019s a timely eye-opener.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n However, the movie\u2019s framing and structure leave much to be desired. The entire story is couched as an unconvincing conversation between Surkov avatar Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) and an American journalist (Jeffrey Wright), making it lean far too heavily on expository voiceover. Assayas takes an unadventurously chronological approach, clumsily segmenting the film into chapters while trying to fold in an unaffecting love story, with Alicia Vikander popping up in a variety of looks as Baranov\u2019s opportunistic inamorata, who barely makes a dent on the narrative.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dano sure-handedly underplays every scene, conveying the sense of a highly intelligent man whose air of faint, supercilious amusement and self-confidence are honestly felt, even if the web he\u2019s so expertly spinning will ultimately trap him along with everyone else. But he is a cold fish of a protagonist, ultimately less interesting than the machinations he devises.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n A film that drags on for longer than it should.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Far more compelling is the \u201cTsar\u201d of this Slavic tragedy, bravely portrayed by Jude Law without a lick of prosthetics and no attempt to do an accent. Still, it is quite a transformation, as Law-Putin scowls, struts and manspreads his way to supreme power, fists clenched and mouth turned down throughout. There\u2019s no big, grandstanding scene, but Law impresses by teasing evidence of his character\u2019s deep-seated frustration and chilling us with Putin\u2019s almost listless ruthlessness.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n There are also even one or two laughs, such as the moment he gruffly asks Baranov, \u201cWhat is Daft Punk?\u201d But he is in too few scenes, making the part more of an extended cameo in a film that drags on for longer than it should \u2014 especially when he\u2019s not on screen.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/div>\n An occasionally interesting but over-stretched attempt to recount Putin\u2019s rise to power, best appreciated for the few moments in which Jude Law appears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2019, retired Putin spin doctor Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) reflects on his rise since the early \u201990s collapse of the Soviet Union. It\u2019s an odd experience, to find yourself thinking, \u201cI\u2019d really like to see more Putin.\u201d Yet that is what you\u2019ll likely feel during Olivier Assayas\u2019 long, broad-scoped and often plodding account of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-47"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9043"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9045,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9043\/revisions\/9045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/the-wizard-of-the-kremlin.jpg\")
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