Film: Death of Stalin (2017)
The Death of Stalin I don’t think Armando Iannucci could have picked a better adaptation than Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin’s graphic novel The Death of Stalin. The film has the same name and essentially from the very outset quickly becomes The Thick of It but with consequences: you don’t just lose your job, you die. Doing what it says on the tin, the film follows the last day or two, the death and the immediate aftermath of Russian dictator Joseph Stalin, in which all his underlings battle it out discreetly to be the next to step in his shoes. Labelled as a dark comedy, the darkness comes from the truth in Russia at this time. However much it makes hilarious jokes (and it is hilarious by the way) this deceit, death and division was simply the way Russia operated at that time. But you don’t need to know that to enjoy the film. Though seeming specific and historical, Iannucci gives you all you need in the opening titles and even if you missed that, all you really need to ...