The Death of Stalin

"He’s dead, and the backstabbing has just begun."

2017 1h 47m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 2,250

ComedyDramaHistory

Synopsis

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When dictator Joseph Stalin dies, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains — just who is running the government?

“He’s dead, and the backstabbing has just begun.”

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Cast

Steve Buscemi
Nikita Khrushchev
Simon Russell Beale
Lavrenti Beria
Jeffrey Tambor
Georgy Malenkov
Jason Isaacs
Field Marshal Zhukov
Michael Palin
Vyacheslav Molotov
Rupert Friend
Vasily Stalin
Andrea Riseborough
Svetlana Stalin
Dermot Crowley
Lazar Kaganovich

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Armando Iannucci
Writers: Fabien Nury, David Schneider, Armando Iannucci
Languages: English
Countries: Belgium, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: Belgium, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Armando Iannucci, shot by Zac Nicholson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Willis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Lambert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve Buscemi and Simon Russell Beale and Jeffrey Tambor carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He’s dead, and the backstabbing has just begun.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4686844 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Armando Iannucci directs. Zac Nicholson behind the camera. Christopher Willis scores. Peter Lambert cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Belgium, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 9 years ago.
2International production across 5 countries: Belgium, Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Armando Iannucci, shot by Zac Nicholson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Christopher Willis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter Lambert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Steve Buscemi and Simon Russell Beale and Jeffrey Tambor carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He’s dead, and the backstabbing has just begun.".
8IMDB entry: tt4686844 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "chaos", "dictator", "socialism", "dark comedy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Zac Nicholson
Original score: Christopher Willis
Editing: Peter Lambert
Production design: Cristina Casali
Costume design: Suzie Harman
Makeup / hair: Nicole Stafford
VFX supervisor: Laurent Gillet
Sound: Alex Fielding
Stunt coordinator: Mark Southworth
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,000,000
Box office: $24,600,000
Return: 189% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Death of Stalin (2017)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Comedy
British Independent Film Awards

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Armando Iannucci

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Mex51502018-02-25
An interesting, but somewhat worrying docudrama look at the United Kingdom if Comrade Corbyn ever came to power.
Gimly2018-03-09
★ 6/10
Pretty genuinely funny, which I was not expecting. A great one for me and my roommate with a hammer and sickle tattoo to watch together. Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.
inspectors712023-05-26
Oh, Lordy, how close were these characters to the real people? If you want to learn how illegitimate governments use and abuse power, this is your movie. Forget Seven Days in May, Downfall, All the President's Men, etc. This black-hearted comedy is about the machinations of the Politburo (or whatever these cunning clowns called themselves) to carve up power at the end of the reign of the 2nd worst mass murderer of all time, Josef Stalin. The callous disregard for the most basic respect for human life leaves one horrified, but the machine-gun delivery of snide and snark between these murderous clowns makes you squirm on the sofa. You know who the "good guys" are which, in itself, shows that same disrespect for human life. You feel conflicted because you've picked sides, and I picked Nikita Khrushchev, and not because he was played by Steve Buscemi ("Shut up, Donnie!). If you have no knowledge of the story of the power struggle after Uncle Joe vapor-locked and rolled to a halt, then accept that the history isn't terribly accurate, but who the hell cares? The viewer sees the mad rush to grab, grab, and grab when the megalomaniacal monster moves on to a luxury suite in Hell. These monsters seem human. I'm totally sure that a black comedy about Adolph or Mao would have the same cunning sleazeballs trying to add to the world's supply of worm food. You wouldn't shoot for a sequel. Everything you need to know is right here. What I found so disturbing about TDOS was the casual nature of killing people. Prisoners, soldiers, doctors, lawyers, NKVD leaders die with a terrified shout of "Long live, Stalin" and a sharp crack of a pistol. Sometimes that seems to go on and on and on in the echoing background cells of the Kremlin. You get used to the background noise. So, if you have a taste for the sort of humor you might find in "Best in Show," wherein one character exclaims how romantic it was to lock eyes on each other from their respective corner Starbucks, if you enjoy the feeling of being conflicted about picking good guys when everyone is saturated with Marxist evil, and/or if you like rolling back the video to find out if he or she really said THAT, then sit back and sip that vodka slowly.