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The Death of Stalin

Play trailer 2:21 Poster for The Death of Stalin R Released Mar 9, 2018 1h 47m Comedy History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 254 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin dies in 1953, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweebish Georgy Malenkov, the wily Nikita Khrushchev and Lavrenti Beria -- the sadistic secret police chief. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains -- just who is running the government?
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The Death of Stalin

The Death of Stalin

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Critics Consensus

The Death of Stalin finds director/co-writer Arnando Iannucci in riotous form, bringing his scabrous political humor to bear on a chapter in history with painfully timely parallels.

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Critics Reviews

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Robert Daniels 812filmreviews The Death of Stalin is not only unexpected, but sharp, witty, and effectively spurious. Rated: 3/4 Aug 27, 2018 Full Review Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald A devastatingly funny dissection of power politics, stripping the mystique from it and those who worship it. Iannucci has done it again. Rated: 4.5/5 Mar 30, 2018 Full Review Wenlei Ma News.com.au The Death of Stalin is signature Iannucci - absurd set-ups leading to even more outrageous ends via the spitefully delicious cadence of his dialogue. Rated: 4/5 Mar 30, 2018 Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine It all feels very bleak, and appalling, and horrifically absurd. The effect is absolutely superb. Rated: 9/10 Jun 12, 2024 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson The Death of Stalin is its own firing squad armed with a specialized brand of heinous hilarity. Rated: 3/5 Apr 7, 2024 Full Review Benedict Seal Vague Visages In the end, the humor fades away in favor of political machinations, but the film's killer gags are still numerable. Watching them delivered by expert performers is The Death of Stalin's primary pleasure. Dec 5, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joshua C. This movie is a masterpiece. I loved it soo much i searched for any other movie remotely similar and watched those too. I would love a National socialist Germany version with my boy AH !! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/25 Full Review Mike P The Death of Stalin resonates with such hilarity because it actualizes what we all think must be happening behind the scenes in any power grab. Prepare to think, laugh and enjoy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/09/25 Full Review Ben C Remarkably well done all around. Blending comedy with incredibly dark events almost always fails, but this movie toes the line spectacularly, delivering an amazing rendition of the death of Stalin and the following events. An absolute must watch for anyone who values political histories. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/07/25 Full Review John D. About as dry of a dry comedy as you can have. Like paint drying dry. I get the jokes, and I recognize that they’re there, and even found a bunch generally funny, but it is not a laugh out loud funny in any way. It’s like a laugh internally type funny. I mean I get why people call it smart, witty, etc, but it was really just slow and boring to me. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/02/25 Full Review Matt S. What is it? Comedy? Tragedy? Neither, really. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/24/25 Full Review Arthur B Frightening and I guess morbid humour but it works so well Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/16/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Death of Stalin

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Movie Info

Synopsis When tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin dies in 1953, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweebish Georgy Malenkov, the wily Nikita Khrushchev and Lavrenti Beria -- the sadistic secret police chief. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains -- just who is running the government?
Director
Armando Iannucci
Producer
Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky, Kevin Loader
Screenwriter
Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Main Journey, Quad Productions, Gaumont, Panache Productions, AFPI, France 3 Cinéma, La Compagnie Cinématographique
Rating
R (Some Sexual References|Language Throughout|Violence)
Genre
Comedy, History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 9, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 11, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.0M
Runtime
1h 47m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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