Amidst scandal, intrigue and immense conflict, Russian Czarina Catherine the Great (Dame Helen Mirren) develops a unique and devoted relationship with Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke) as they overcome their adversaries and serve as the architects of modern-day Russia.
Was so looking forward to this, as Russian historical dramas are hard to come by. Helen Mirren is of course stellar (as is Rory Kinnear) but its let down by the need to have unrelated/ unnecessary vulgarity that doesn't progress the plot and comes across as unintentionally funny.
The Russo-Turkish War is merely a generic background war, Catherine's enlightenment and progression barely touched on. I echo others in these reviews that are underwhelmed and disappointed.
My advice is to avoid and watch the 2015 Russiabn series "Ekaterina: The Rise of Catherine the Great" currently on Amazon Prime