The Wizard of the Kremlin, by Olivier Assayas, shows audiences the rise of Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) through his spin doctor, Vladimir Baranov (Paul Dano), and how a young filmmaker was able to mold Putin and his authoritarian regime into an untouchable cabal that holds power with an iron grip.
This film is an adaptation of the 2022 novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli, and the character of Vadmin is based on Vladislav Surkov, known as ‘Grey cardinal’ of the Kremlin. However, the film states that an artistic-licensing approach has been taken, so it’s not a deep adaptation of the book.
Even then, it still presents a really interesting premise for Assayas to explore, especially when Putin is, in real life, a cold-blooded dictator who is behind numerous assassinations of political opponents, critics, and the illegal invasion of Ukraine, so how could anyone have his ear, especially a young filmmaker?
Disappointingly, the Wizard of the Kremlin wasn’t able to really convince that Baranov could have any sway on Putin. Even with two hours and thirty-two minutes, it’s speedrunning through significant events that end up as set dressing. The character of Baranov is referred to as this new Rasputin, but he doesn’t live up to that. For a film about ‘the rise’ of Putin, there isn’t a sense of that ‘rise’ — struggle, adversity, a fight.
Assayas approaches the story as Baranov recounting his relationship with Putin to Rowland (Jeffery Wright), a novelist, presumably an Empoli insert. It turns Baranov into the narrator, just moving along without letting the audience live through these crucial moments.
When Putin was first elected in 2012, Baranov talks about the image of Putin and how that image can make people desire that authority figure. But it’s just talk, the audience never sees this in action, instead just footage of Putin’s inauguration. This expositional approach gets tiring. We are constantly waiting for ‘the drama’ of it all, making this story, that we all know, seem larger and more sinister.
Baranov doesn’t live up to the incredible persona meant to be the rock of the film. Dano is a fantastic actor, but here it is just not working. Instead, it is robotic and dull. It’s a surprise that Putin listens to him in this film and doesn’t fall asleep.
Jude Law really sells the performance through the physicality, showing that Putin is detached from everything. Even when characters shake his hand, he still feels that there’s a wall; it’s just not the physicality, it’s the arrogance that he can walk over anyone or any country because in his eyes, it’s Russia, that former power that has been unfairly bullied. His lack of a Russian accent may take audiences out of the full immersion.
Wright is massively underutilized; he’s just there to hear the narration. Even more so, Ksenia (Alicia Vikander), the love interest of Baranov, is simply forgotten mid-way through.
The Wizard of the Kremlin aims to explore how a man like Putin was able to rise to power; however, it skims its way through a familiar story instead of really exploring those crucial moments that molded Putin into the monster he is. Despite being a creative adaptation of a fictional story, the film never finds the drama or the sinister tone needed to show just how evil this central character is.
Review Courtesy of Matthew Allan
Feature Image Credit to Carole Bethuel/Vertical via IMDb