The Death of Stalin

Play trailer

2:21

The Death of Stalin

R

2018

1h 47m

Comedy

History

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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?

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Robert Daniels

812filmreviews

08/27/2018

3/4

The Death of Stalin is not only unexpected, but sharp, witty, and effectively spurious.

Go to Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

03/30/2018

4.5/5

A devastatingly funny dissection of power politics, stripping the mystique from it and those who worship it. Iannucci has done it again.

Go to Full Review

Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

03/30/2018

4/5

The Death of Stalin is signature Iannucci - absurd set-ups leading to even more outrageous ends via the spitefully delicious cadence of his dialogue.

Go to Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

06/12/2024

9/10

It all feels very bleak, and appalling, and horrifically absurd. The effect is absolutely superb.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

04/07/2024

3/5

The Death of Stalin is its own firing squad armed with a specialized brand of heinous hilarity.

Go to Full Review

Benedict Seal

Vague Visages

12/05/2023

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Raldyr H

@Raldyr May 31

If you enjoy grim humor, satire and history, definitely give this one a go.

See more

Matthew P. W

@worstofthewurst May 6

This is a movie I return to from time to time and I enjoy it even more with each rewatch. The casting is at once odd yet impeccably perfect. Every character is equally hilarious, with maybe the exception of Jason Isaacs as Zhukov who steals the show... though it seems he is set up to do so. The writing is so tight and effective but gives each actor the space to make the character their own. Every single thing that happens in this film, second to second, is hilarious - I mean really, truly hilarious. Armando Ianucci is clearly a genius. Even if you know nothing of history, even if you don't know that all of this outlandish stuff happened (with a compressed timeline in the film, understandably and effectively) - as a work of fiction it is incredible. As a work based on a true story, it is remarkable.

See more

Safiullah C.

@RT90033158 Apr 20

Impeccable cult classic.

See more

Kenneth L

@RT28484096 Mar 2

As a WWII history nerd, I did not expect this movie to be as funny as it was. But not only was it funny, it was very funny. I would recommend this even for non-history nerds.

See more

Nigel S

@Funkleberry Nov 23

A somewhat confusing romp with a few good laughs thrown in.

See more

Jim S

@Sharkmiester Nov 21

I fully understand what the director was trying to do, but it just fell short for me. I love Steve Buschemi and dark satirical humour, but this just didn't meet the mark. Where is Mel Brooks when you need him was my main thought about this movie. If you get that statement, you get it.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Armando Iannucci

Director

Steve Buscemi

Nikita Khrushchev

Simon Russell Beale

Lavrentiy Beria

Jeffrey Tambor

Georgy Malenkov

Paddy Considine

Comrade Andryev

Rupert Friend

Vasily Stalin

The Professor

11%

77%

The Professor

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Professor

Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood

86%

70%

Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood

The Belly of an Architect

85%

80%

The Belly of an Architect

Watchlist

In Dubious Battle

26%

39%

In Dubious Battle

Watchlist

TRAILER

for In Dubious Battle

The Party

82%

62%

The Party

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Party

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Death of Stalin: Trailer 1

2:21

The Death of Stalin: Teaser Trailer 1

1:00

The Death of Stalin: International Trailer 2

0:52

The Death of Stalin: International Trailer 1

2:27

View more videos

View more photos

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)