Be Excellent To Each Other

Film review time mateys!

You know what's delicious? Seeing unlikely combinations of actors well directed and in service to a sharp, witty script. It doesn't happen that often anymore. I went to see The Death of Stalin last night, and I really didn't want the film to end, I was having such a troublingly good time. If you're wondering if it's worth a cinema ticket stub, just think, Steve Buscemi and Michael Palin conspiring in a bathroom, impatiently waiting for the cistern to fill up so they can flush again and continue their hushed, secret, paranoid plotting. You have Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, a cowardly indecisive and vain bumbler in a bad wig. There's Paul Whitehouse as Miyorkin, a bolshy irreverant dandy who's the closest the Secritariat has to a wide-boy. Jeffrey Isaacs as Zharkov, a macho Russian General by way of Sheffield and then there's Simon Russel Beale, as Beria, head of the NKVD and a slimy, goading and gloating monster.

Much in common with The Thick of It, Veep and In The Loop this is about politicians bickering and scheming - only this time the penalty for failure is a bullet in the back of head. For all its humour, it's a very dark film. There's a slapstick element to a lot of the violence, which is unnerving because the killing is carried out in a regular way, it's just the little touches and the comedy context that add the element of macabre farce. As far as direction goes it's Iannucci's strongest outing to date as well. The film looks great, knowing when to play incongrous banality in the visuals (housekeeper bringing Stalin his morning tea) and the shadow laden, sickly lit horror of Beria's basement cells - all playing together to lend a nightmarishly surreal quality to the film. And the pace whips along - never too fast to lose the viewer, but fast enough for ending to heave into view after the two hour twenty mark and very much still leave you wishing you were in the company of such monsters for just a little longer.

The ending however when it comes is brutal and uncompromising. A strange mixture of relief and gut-punching horror. Remarkably, despite the sudden lessening of humour in the last ten minutes, it still feels very much the same film - it's almost a sudden shift in viewer realisation rather than a different style for the film itself.

The acting is universally excellent, with Simon Russell Beale as Beria taking the laurels. He's unquestionably the darkest element of the film, yet still gets some great laughs. One address to camera, from the point of view of prisoner, is pure dripping malevolence. Buscemi is a hoot, naturally, but he brings a primed urgency to the film, keeping it moving along despite his comically weasly nature. Palin gives us the funniest Python performance since the 80's, with at least three laugh-out-loud moments and the best speech of the film. You'll know it when you hear it. Tambor brings that mixture of petty pain and triumph he does so well in Arrested Development, and moves it into a sort of shell-shocked, rabbit-in-headlights stupour in the gripping final act. And Paul Whitehouse is so much fun you suspect that, like his real life counterpart, the reason he was left off the lists all his life is simply because he's good company. It's a film packed with great little roles as well. The annoyingly smug religious martyr of a sexy pianist whose happy to drag others down with her, the bewildered and catatonically afraid doctors, the 'Slim Hitler' funeral director... it's such a rich film.

Honestly, there aren't any flaws I can find in this one. When the odd joke doesn't raise a laugh, it doesn't matter as the entire naturalistic atmosphere and characterisation accomodates the odd rare bum note. It seems a few critics are grumbling that it isn't funnier, but for me it's the perfect blend of laughs, horror, action and politics. It's a beautifully honed, fast moving machine that sweeps you along and makes for a damn good thriller as well, dark as hell and funny with it. If you're a fan of The Thick of It, watch this. If you're a fan of Monty Python, watch this. If you're a fan of The Lives of Others, watch this. If you're a fan of Downfall, watch this. If you're a fan of House of Cards, watch this. If you're a fan of The Sopranoes, watch this.

Could very well be my movie of the year, in fact. Go see it.

5/5

P.S: The fact that nobody has a Russian accent matters for approximately 7.5 seconds, then you forget about it.

Was already looking forward to this and it's pretty much top of my watch list anyway, but a fine review like that just whets the appetite more

I like my humour black and troubling, so this sounds perfect.

No sign of it at the cinema here though, and I don't much like the cinema anyway, so I will wait for it to be available in the home.

I watched this last night. Pete is right about everything. Watch this film.

910/1000

It's brilliant. Definitely one I want to rewatch.

This!

I thought it was OK, but didn't quite work for me.

Certainly not up there with The Thick Of It, In The Loop, Veep or Iannucci's other work.

Was cool seeing Paddy Considine in a very different role to what he usually does. I almost didn't recognise him.

It isn't quite as manic as some of his other work, and there's a constant sense of dark menace as an undercurrent to everything which makes it less 'comedy', certainly different but I didn't think any less brilliant.

I pretty much agree with this. It was pretty good, but not as good as I'd hoped.

XXX TOO HOT FOR RUSSIA.

Banned in Russia for ideological warfare and extremism.

http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/latest.ht ... talin_9836

Watched this on the plane and it was utterly excellent. I agree with OP on most accounts.

OP says the film time was over 2 hours but on the plane it was a meagre 1 hour 45 minutes, so I reckon some of the more contentious dialogue has been extracted. Boo-urns.

Still, this has just made me want to watch it again. Not least because the I was sick of the tiny little aeroplane TV screen was shoved inches from my face thanks to the guy sitting in front of me and the measly leg room.



Me too which reminded me of Behind Enemy Gates but without the distraction of Bob Hoskins being Bob Hoskins.

Deftly funny and highly recommended.

For those who haven't seen it yet, it was added to Amazon Prime today. I never did get round to seeing it at the cinema but bought it on Google Play when it came out. Excellent film.

I thought it was okay.

Same. I had high expectations and was left slightly disappointed. It didn't help that it had so many inaccuracies either.