Reviews

Jude Law has played several real-life people, such as Henry VIII, over the years, but now he’s taking on one of the most recognisable current world leaders – Vladimir Putin.

The British actor plays the Russian President as a supporting character in Olivier Assayas’ political drama The Wizard of the Kremlin, an adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s book of the same name.

The film focuses on spin doctor Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) – a character based on Vladislav Surkov – who invites Jeffrey Wright’s American journalist to his countryside retreat post-retirement and tells him his story.

Framed around this storytelling device, the narrative flashes back to the 1990s and follows Baranov as he gets into politics and rises to become an influential Kremlin official and master manipulator alongside Putin (Law).

The Wizard of the Kremlin features a lot of real people and events, considering it opens with a disclaimer that it’s a work of fiction. Viewers with a good knowledge of Russian history and politics will be able to grasp what’s fact and fiction, however, the lines may blur for those who don’t have this foundation.

The film may appeal to those with an existing interest in this subject matter, but for those with no knowledge or a casual interest, this may be quite a challenging slog, as it’s long (137 minutes), often unengaging and very densely written.

It also moves through world events quickly, so it can be hard to follow or appreciate their impact if you don’t come into the film with this pre-existing knowledge.

Allowing the cast to speak in their own accents (except Dano) rather than attempting Russian is a wise idea, however, it is very distracting hearing a Russian character speaking in a British accent.

This is the main reason why Law isn’t particularly convincing as Putin. While he looks vaguely like the leader (thanks to a good wig), it’s hard to overcome the disconnect between the Russian President speaking with Law’s natural accent.

Dano is usually a reliable performer, but Baranov isn’t the strongest showcase of his talents. He speaks in a soft, monotone English accent (for some unknown reason) and plays the character in a strangely passive way, barely conveying any emotion.

One of the strongest cast members is Alicia Vikander, who brings verve and vibrancy to Baranov’s love interest Ksenia, but she only pops in and out occasionally.

Those with an interest in Russian politics may find this an interesting and illuminating drama that pulls back the curtain on certain figures. However, if the subject doesn’t interest you, this overlong, dull and cold film will not convert you.

In cinemas from Friday 17th April

By Hannah Wales

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