Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly thirty years, Soviet dictator Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.
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In early-1953 Moscow, under the Great Terror's heavy cloak of state paranoia, the ever-watchful Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, collapses, unexpectedly, of a brain haemorrhage. As a result, when someone discovers his body the following morning, a frenetic surge of raw panic starts spreading like a virus amongst the senior members of the Council of Ministers, as they scramble to maintain order, weed out the competition, and, ultimately, take power. But, in the middle of a gut-wrenching roller-coaster of incessant plotting, tireless machinations, and frail allegiances, absolutely no one is safe; not even the feared chief of the secret police, Lavrenti Beria. In the end, who will prevail after the death of Stalin?Written by
Nick Riganas
This movie alludes to 1950 plane crash in Sverdlovsk that killed all nineteen on-board, including eleven players from the Soviet Air Force ice hockey team, the team doctor, and a masseur. Vasili Stalin, the team's patron, so feared his father's reaction that he tried to downplay the seriousness of the crash, and rushed to recruit replacement players in hopes that his father wouldn't find out. See more »
Goofs
When Stalin's son tussles with security guards his air force badge is knocked sideways, immediately as he stands up it is in the proper position. See more »
Quotes
Vyacheslav Molotov:
I've always been loyal to Stalin, always. This arrests were authorized by Stalin but Stalin was also loyal to the collective leadership and that is true loyalty. However, he also had an iron will, undeviating, strong, could we not do the same and stick to what we believed in? No. It is stronger still to forge our own beliefs within the beliefs of the collective leadership, which I have now... done.
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Crazy Credits
Black-and-white photographs of the main characters appear over the end credits, but various figures are airbrushed out, have their faces defaced, or have other people superimposed over them, as per Soviet photos of Trotsky and purge victims. See more »
Steve Buscemi leads an all star cast of characters in a keystone cop-esque replication of the confusion and anarchy that followed the death of Stalin.
Very dark and witty, but to those with knowledge of these events, so very intuitive.
This is about the steps taken by Stalin's court (The Central Committee) to secure power rather than have another strongman come in, and like Stalin did, clean house.
Listen for some very understated yet powerful lines of dialog here.
I can't wait to see it again. I am afraid of misquoting the lines that i liked so much. Many having to deal with revenge.
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Steve Buscemi leads an all star cast of characters in a keystone cop-esque replication of the confusion and anarchy that followed the death of Stalin.
Very dark and witty, but to those with knowledge of these events, so very intuitive.
This is about the steps taken by Stalin's court (The Central Committee) to secure power rather than have another strongman come in, and like Stalin did, clean house.
Listen for some very understated yet powerful lines of dialog here.
I can't wait to see it again. I am afraid of misquoting the lines that i liked so much. Many having to deal with revenge.