The Death of Stalin is easily the comedy of the year – aided by an incredible ensemble cast
This delightfully silly movie is an intelligent, hilarious circus crammed full of the finest people cinema has to offer
As the title (ahem) dictates, Stalin has croaked it. Armando Ianucci’s farcical comedy focuses on the fallout, the chaos and the sheer insanity that follows.
With one of the best ensemble casts I’ve seen in a hell of a long time, helmed by the man that brought us Alan Partridge, The Day Today, Brasseye, Time Trumpet, Thick Of It, In the Loop and Veep - this can’t really be anything other than amazing.
Thankfully for once, predictions are correct and Armando cements himself in as surely the greatest comedy genius this country has right now.
It’s a concise, tight premise. With Stalin’s body still warm, his inner circle panic and charge around following protocol, jostling for position and stabbing each other in the back - all the while being terrified of anyone finding out what’s happened.
Remember the episode when the fella died in Fawlty Towers? Imagine a film version of that under the shadow of a dictatorship played out by the finest comedy actors around.
Opening with a delightfully silly chapter featuring a perfectly judged Paddy Considine as a sound recordist desperately trying to round up an orchestra at the behest of Stalin, the whole film soaks itself in the slightly surreal and absurd situations Ianucci relishes.
It’s a heady mix of subtle chuckles, gasps of mirth and out-and-out belly laughs.
Some knowledge of Russian history would be pretty useful, but you generally get the gist, even if there may have been subtleties that passed me by.
By bar the biggest thing to get your head around - and in turn the thing that turns what could have been a relatively straightforward and staid comedy, is the accents.
It’s disjointing when it strikes you that almost everyone is speaking in their open accent. No-one is attempting a Russian accent.
Buscemi could be in Reservoir Dogs, Jason Isaacs giving it some Finchy from the Office, a Stalin from the Dales, a nervous American Malenkov and the sheer beauty of Paul Whitehouse doing his best “anyone fancy a pint” Mikoyan almost makes you weep (he also has the best line of the film whilst standing over a burning body.
It’s a genius move on the maker’s part - giving real variety and comedy to what could have otherwise been quiet staid.
I haven’t even mentioned Michael Palin creeping out of retirement (last film I can think of was the decidedly average Fish Called Wanda sequel) to gibe the performance of a lifetime.
You’ll throw yourself to your knees in awe.
I don’t know how much of the film was improvised, but I’ll wager that when Rupert Friend (another surprisingly astute performance) as the drunk son somehow managed to spit on his own forehead (my moment of the film) even Ianucci thanked his lucky stars.
A massively misjudged rape scene aside (rape just isn’t funny ever), The Death of Stalin is an intelligent, hilarious circus crammed full of the finest people cinema has to offer, Armando Ianucci surely the only ringmaster who could have handled with such deft.
Comedy of the year by a country mile.
The Death of Stalin
(15) 106mins
★★★★★
