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The Wizard of the Kremlin

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for The Wizard of the Kremlin 2h 36m Drama Mystery & Thriller History Play Trailer Watchlist
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48% Tomatometer 52 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
Russia, early 1990s. Amid post-Soviet chaos, a brilliant young man, Vadim Baranov, charts his path. First an artist, then a reality TV producer, he becomes the spin doctor to a rising KGB agent: Vladimir Putin. At the heart of power, Baranov shapes the new Russia, blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, belief and manipulation. Only the magnetic Ksenia is beyond his control, tempting him away from this dangerous game. Years later, after retreating into silence and shrouded in mystery, Baranov finally opens up, revealing the dark secrets of the regime he helped build.
The Wizard of the Kremlin

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A dryly witty yet overwrought slow burner, The Wizard of the Kremlin can't overcome its thin characters, sluggish pacing, and repetitive storytelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube) 2h
The film itself is often quite inert. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times 3d
3/5
For all the clumsy voiceover, Dano remains a twinkling enigma, even if the script, written by the director and Emmanuel Carrère, reduces him to more of a witness than a participant. Go to Full Review
Danny Leigh Financial Times 4d
2/5
The script is a clever synthesis, but to get the most from The Wizard of the Kremlin, you should ideally have first spent three decades in blissful ignorance. Go to Full Review
Tom Shone Sunday Times (UK) 1h
3/5
Your enjoyment of the film will depend on how much of the robotic, sotto voce sing-song with which Dano delivers his lines you can take before you want to run from your dacha and bury your head in the snow. Go to Full Review
Jim Ross TAKE ONE Magazine 2d
By the time Will Keen is introduced as Boris Berezovsky, and almost immediately opens with "I’ll tell you my story", a dose of Polonium-210 already begins to feel inviting a mere half hour into the prolonged 136-minute runtime. Go to Full Review
Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall 3d
4/5
Director Olivier Assayas orchestrates the story with skill and artistry, deploying a lucid script and knowing direction that makes terrific use of colourful locations. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Sven V @RT70555692 Mar 31 Slow movie but nevertheless interesting from the beginning to the end. Enjoyed myself for 2.5 hours. See more Runa R @runa.r Mar 26 I enjoyed the film very much and watched it with great interest. The performances of Jude Law and Paul Dano are superb — especially how the latter, in such a subtle and restrained tone, conveys the horrors of a totalitarian state. See more Tormod N @RT96409236 Mar 17 Good movie. Especially if you are into russian history. Explained the russian/putins side of the war in good details. Absolutely worth a watch. If youre not a history buff it might be a bit slow. See more Ira L @IreneLeva Mar 14 The best way to sum up this masterpiece is TheCringeIsTooStrong.gif. However, the current press tour interviews with Low Jude and Pavel Danov where they try to justify their participation in this masterpiece are almost entertaining. See more A M @Absolute_Cinema33 Mar 13 Esta película tiene una premisa que no es muy interesante. La trama se desarrolla de forma lenta y con algunas escenas innecesariamente largas. Además, esta película consta de muy pocas escenas memorables y de escenarios variados. Pero todo lo malo de esta película lo contrasta un desarrollo del protagonista más que notorio ya que con el paso del tiempo vamos descubriendo cómo es psicológicamente, en esta película se muestra una Rusia que se siente real y sientes que la película te transporta a ese lugar todo acompañado con un buen soundtrack que ambienta muy bien la película. Y de lejos lo mejor de esta película es su final que es tanto inesperado como impactante como desgarrador que cierra de forma brusca esta película Resumen: esta es una película larga que tiene una trama no muy interesante pero con buena ambientación y con un final desgarrador See more 7th B @7thbag Mar 9 If one somehow refrains from criticizing the timing of the film's release during the Russian aggression against Ukraine, then have a great time watching this great example of how Russian propaganda is voluntarily brought to the big screen by Western directors and actors. The only question is – is it really voluntary? See more Read all reviews

Movie Info

Synopsis Russia, early 1990s. Amid post-Soviet chaos, a brilliant young man, Vadim Baranov, charts his path. First an artist, then a reality TV producer, he becomes the spin doctor to a rising KGB agent: Vladimir Putin. At the heart of power, Baranov shapes the new Russia, blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, belief and manipulation. Only the magnetic Ksenia is beyond his control, tempting him away from this dangerous game. Years later, after retreating into silence and shrouded in mystery, Baranov finally opens up, revealing the dark secrets of the regime he helped build.
Director
Olivier Assayas
Producer
Olivier Assayas
Screenwriter
Olivier Assayas, Emmanuel Carrère
Distributor
Vertical
Production Co
Gaumont, Curiosa Films, France 2 Cinéma
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 15, 2026, Limited
Runtime
2h 36m