The Death of Stalin

Friday, March 9 - Thursday, August 2, 2018

The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this audacious comedy is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast. With Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs and Andrea Riseborough.

Official selection: Toronto International Film Festival

• Country UK
• Rating R
• Running Time 107 minutes
• Director Armando Iannucci
• Writer Fabien Nury (comic book & screenplay), Thierry Robin (comic book & screenplay), Armando Iannucci (screenplay), David Schneider (screenplay), Ian Martin (screenplay)
• Editor Peter Lambert
• Cinematographer Zac Nicholson
• Cast Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, Rupert Friend, Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Riseborough

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