The truth is stranger than fiction…or is it?

The Wizard of the Kremlin takes us into the halls of power in a way that feels unsure of itself, where it’s trying to lean into some of the more ridiculous moments but also weigh in on the general insanity of the distribution of power in Russia in the wake of the end of the Cold War.

In the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, rising KGB officer Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) joins forces with master manipulator Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) to reshape life behind the Iron Curtain, using violence and deception to change the world forever. Putin and Baranov’s reign of chaos begins with lies and corruption, and quickly escalates to assassinations, tyranny, and eventually all-out war.

Working from the source novel by Giuliano Da Empoli, co-writer/director Olivier Assayas who is arguably one of the more engaging storytellers we have in the film medium today, tends to show his weaknesses here as this is his 3^rd entry into the political thriller vein with some uneven results because it blurs the line between the fictions and the realities of the situation a little too much.

The story is undeniably interesting, but the tone of it all is just uneven.  It’s trying to be serious and on occasion, absurdist when it tells this story.  The material certainly justifies that approach it leaves us as a view uncertain on how to receive what we’re being told.

Baranov serves as our narrator for the rise of Putin in power and it’s obviously being prismed through his lens which takes us on some self-indulgent tangents.

What is does well is give us some perspective on the machinations and power plays that go on behind the scenes in the rise of an authoritarian government and the crazy shit it will pull to stay there.

While Assayas delivered strong work in his mini-series centered on the saga of Carlos the Jackal back in 2010, this film much like his 2019 effort Wasp Network which is based on the story of Cuban Political Prisoners in the 1990’s, plays a little too self-indulgently for it to be effective.  It’s almost like the story is waxing poetic about itself as its being told to us, resulting in a movie that’s hard to get invested in, even with some strong performances.

Regardless of whatever Quentin Tarantino says, Paul Dano is quite strong here as the aloof artist turned TV producer and ultimately media manipulator to change the course of history.  He plays someone who has a quiet arrogance to him until the end even though he can logically acknowledge the horrors of unleashing Vladmir Putin on the Russian people and the world at large, he still can’t help but smugly admire his own work, which just makes him all the more fascinating to watch.

Jude Law also pulls off some fine work here as he manages the quite snarl of Putin in a way that kind of sneaks up on us.  Having spent the bulk of the 1990’s and early 2000’s as a pretty leading man, he has rather quietly and successfully managed to morph himself into a fascinating character who is getting better with age.  Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright all show up to give a little colour and variety in the story but don’t get to do much as Dano and Law (rightly) take up all the air in the room.

Ultimately, there’s something fascinating about The Wizard of the Kremlin that we get engaged in, but it likes the sound of its own voice just a little too much too.  It’s a bit long in the tooth to really land on any emotional or intellectual levels but it survives thanks to some strong character work from its leads.