Audience Member
A work of Fiction based on Fiction.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/21/25
Full Review
Alexey K
It's not good at all. Unnecessary religious symbolism, bad CGI acting, chaotic timeline. There were a couple of funny moments but that's it. I was expecting satire like The Death of Stalin, funny, smart, something that will butthurt russians. To be fair, this movie probably will do it anyway so 2 starts for that.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/17/25
Full Review
Robin C
“Putin”
Vladimir Putin is one of the most powerful dictators in the world, ruling Russia with an iron fist. Director Patryk Vega tells the despot’s story from the time his mother abandoned him to 2026 and his anticipated downfall in “Putin.”
As an avid student of history, I am always game for a film that deals with a political subject, especially one as heinous as Vladimir Putin. And, given that the director is Polish and apparently not a fan of the Russian despot, I am even more for it. As such, I expected, if not enlightenment, something original and very entertaining. I am disappointed, to say the least.
Putin’s story begins at the supposed end – Putin is a quivering mass wielding (or not wielding) his power from a mental institute under intense care. So, the stage is set that the end of Putin’s reign of terror is nearing its end. Then, we jump back in time to an adolescent Vlad being bullied. At this point, I expected a linear telling, in episodes, of the life and making of a Russian dictator.
Unfortunately, it is not a linear telling. Instead, the filmmakers jump around the high points in Putin’s history in such a jumble that it is confusing, even if you know about the man, which I do.
The rambling back and forth in time does little to inform the viewer about Putin, except to say he is a ruthless, murderous a**hole. In no order, we see Vlad as a KGB colonel in East Germany, doing corruption in Leningrad, sucking up to Boris Yeltsin in Moscow, seizing power through rigged elections, fighting the independence of former Soviet republics, the fall of Communism, the rise of Vlad with the blood of the people on his hands.
Throughout this confused pastiche of history, fact and fiction, the filmmakers use “symbols” – the bully from Vlad’s youth and a fur clad young woman representing the old Soviet guard with a mirthful expression – to limited success.
One of the “highlights” touted here is that “Putin” is an actor with the dictator’s face applied via CGI. It does not work. The CGI face does not appear to move much and lacks expression. The intent is there but the execution is lacking.
I wondered, after sitting through this mishmash, how it could be fixed. The answer is, I think, to rejigger it so Vlad’s story is told in chronological order, drop the CGI and use makeup instead and lose the “symbols.” There could be an entertaining and enlightening movie here and a good history lesson, too. But, there is not.
D+
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/16/25
Full Review
Bill C
One of the worst movies I have ever seen. I should have walked out after 10 minutes. There was no acting. People mumbling throughout the movie, which made it basically worthless. A waste of money to pay for a theater ticket for this. Nothing made any sense at all.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
01/14/25
Full Review
Tricoast E
There's a lot fo reasons to go see the new movie "Putin" from Director Patryk Vega. First just on a technical level, it's a work of genius how he has woen images of President Putin into scenese that tell his life story. Second, very few Americans actually know who Putin is, and what he has done to his people over his years in power. it;s eye opening shocking, with a twist ending, as the movie is set 2 years into the future.
If yiou care about what's happening in Ukraine and around the world at the behest of dictators, don't miss this masterpiece, a true theatrical experience, that includes 2 ghosts telling the story - ripped from the style of King Lear, to tell this tragedy.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/12/25
Full Review
Rafał F
Knowing what kind of movies Patryk Vega is making I wasn't expecting anything good. Yet I was still disappointed. This movie is not only bad, but it doesn't make sense. It's a mash-up of weird scenes all set in different years, and the narration jumps from one point in timeline to other without any kind of logic. The CGI mix of actor's and Putin's face is terrible and it looks like cheep face swap done badly on your phone. If you're not from Poland and you've somehow seen this monstrosity of a movie, I'm deeply sorry for you.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
01/12/25
Full Review
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