Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly thirty years, Soviet dictator Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.
In early-1953 Moscow, under the Great Terror's heavy cloak of state paranoia, the ever-watchful Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, collapses, unexpectedly, of a brain haemorrhage. As a result, when someone discovers his body the following morning, a frenetic surge of raw panic starts spreading like a virus amongst the senior members of the Council of Ministers, as they scramble to maintain order, weed out the competition, and, ultimately, take power. But, in the middle of a gut-wrenching roller-coaster of incessant plotting, tireless machinations, and frail allegiances, absolutely no one is safe; not even the feared chief of the secret police, Lavrenti Beria. In the end, who will prevail after the death of Stalin?Written by
Nick Riganas
This movie was screened in the Platform section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and received critical acclaim. It caused controversy in Russia and other former members of the Soviet Union, now under the aegis of the Eurasian Economic Union, and was banned from general release in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. See more »
Goofs
Vyacheslav Molotov in real life was known for his impassive, stern demeanor, while Michael Palin depicts him as emotional, somewhat cowardly, and seeming very pleasant and cheerful. See more »
Quotes
[Zhukov signals that the coup is a go]
Brezhnev:
Okay, let's go catch a pig for the pot.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Black-and-white photographs of the main characters appear over the end credits, but various figures are airbrushed out, have their faces defaced, or have other people superimposed over them, as per Soviet photos of Trotsky and purge victims. See more »
Steve Buscemi leads an all star cast of characters in a keystone cop-esque replication of the confusion and anarchy that followed the death of Stalin.
Very dark and witty, but to those with knowledge of these events, so very intuitive.
This is about the steps taken by Stalin's court (The Central Committee) to secure power rather than have another strongman come in, and like Stalin did, clean house.
Listen for some very understated yet powerful lines of dialog here.
I can't wait to see it again. I am afraid of misquoting the lines that i liked so much. Many having to deal with revenge.
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Steve Buscemi leads an all star cast of characters in a keystone cop-esque replication of the confusion and anarchy that followed the death of Stalin.
Very dark and witty, but to those with knowledge of these events, so very intuitive.
This is about the steps taken by Stalin's court (The Central Committee) to secure power rather than have another strongman come in, and like Stalin did, clean house.
Listen for some very understated yet powerful lines of dialog here.
I can't wait to see it again. I am afraid of misquoting the lines that i liked so much. Many having to deal with revenge.