The Death of Stalin

Movie • 2017

7.3

Activity

saralundgren shared

Pitch-black satire but somehow manages to be playful—if your humor is dark, you’ll cackle.

rickyg shared

Witness the absurdity of Soviet politics in this darkly humorous take on historical events.

saralundgren
saved Quirky Comedies for Any Mood

rickyg
saved Dark Satirical Delights

Watched by

In Watchlist

Rated by

Streaming on

Kanopy
Plex
Plex Channel
Hulu
AMC Plus Apple TV Channel
AMC+ Amazon Channel
AMC+
Philo
Mubi
Mubi Amazon Channel

Buy/Rent

Amazon Video, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu

Manage your streaming providers

Overview

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?

Details

Cast

Allow cookies to play videos.

Found on the web

Roger Ebert

But this is a movie that wants you uncomfortable, in a variety of ways. Even when you’re laughing, and you will be.

rogerebert.com/reviews/the-death-of-stalin-2018

BBC Culture

"The Death of Stalin, set in the Soviet Union in 1953, is endlessly funny, but more absurdist than those earlier works. The story spins off from real events. When Josef Stalin suffers a stroke and collapses, guards are so fearful of entering his room that he is left on the floor in a puddle of urine for hours."

bbc.com/culture/article/20170913-film-review-the-death-of-stalin-is-absurdly-funny

The Hollywood Reporter

Pettiness, vanity and infighting are constants among those in search of power ... this makes a very fine sophomore outing. It will more than satisfy Iannucci’s fans at arthouses; here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another eight years to see the director’s next film.

hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/death-stalin-review-1036174/

Variety

Though sporadically brilliant, this too-often uneven send-up of Russian politics attempts to maintain the rapid-fire, semi-improvisational style of Iannucci’s earlier work...but so much of the movie simply doesn’t work, from self-serving speeches drowned out by jets to the miscalculated hilarity of Beria’s ouster.

variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-death-of-stalin-review-1202551458/

Empire

Iannucci’s brand of political satire is applied to one of the darkest chapters in modern history, with sensational results. The Lives Of Others with laughs, it’s farcical, frightening and a timely reminder that things could always be worse.

empireonline.com/movies/reviews/death-stalin-review/

Reelviews

Iannucci takes many of the true incidents surrounding Stalin’s funeral and the succession struggle and mines them for comedic gold. The very real fear that a tiny misstep could result in a trip to a windowless cell or a bullet to the back of the head becomes a punchline for numerous scenes.

reelviews.net/reelviews/death-of-stalin-the

Deep Focus Review

"Merciless and riotously funny, The Death of Stalin transforms the authoritarian regime into a site for macabre humor, often twisting one of history’s most genocidal eras into the punchlines of a scathing comedy."

deepfocusreview.com/reviews/the-death-of-stalin/

The Critical Movie Critics

It’s a shame that the only great death I will distinctly remember from The Death of Stalin is the loss of my precious time (106 minutes worth).

thecriticalcritics.com/reviews/movie-review-the-death-of-stalin/

More like this

In the Loop

In the Loop

2009

Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love

1998

Ghost World

Ghost World

2001

Leap!

Leap!

2016

Babylon

Babylon

2022

Living in Oblivion

Living in Oblivion

1995

Coffee and Cigarettes

Coffee and Cigarettes

2003

Chimes at Midnight

Chimes at Midnight

1965

The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Personal History of David Copperfield

2019

Find more movies from 2017.Find more movies in english.Find more comedy movies.Find more movies.