The Wizard of the Kremlin

Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) consults with his advisor, Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano), in The Wizard of the Kremlin (Distributed by Vertical Entertainment)

Vladimir Putin is a fascinating figure on the global stage. A former KGB agent who has maintained control of one of the biggest countries in the world for decades, he is, at the very least, an interesting story. The drama The Wizard of the Kremlin dramatizes Putin’s rise through the eyes of a fictional diplomat who helps pull the strings to bring him to power. It is an intriguing concept brought to life in an exceedingly dull film. The characters are thin, with the central one being a complete void of interest, and the pacing is extremely sluggish. Director Olivier Assayas has made some great movies. This is not one of them.

Way too much attention is given to the titular wizard, including a full backstory and complex romance. The movie picks up slightly once Putin finally enters the picture, but Assayas does not turn up the intensity, so it quickly settles back into monotony. Jude Law is good as Putin, however, the screenplay (adapted from the 2023 novel by Guiliano Da Empoli by Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère) does not engage enough with Russian history or general political manipulation to be consistently compelling. The characters talk at each other, causing whatever insight there is to fall very flat. It is a promising concept delivered in a boring package.

The story follows Vadim Baranov as he moves from artist to influential political advisor in 2000’s Russia. It traces the shifts in the country during that period through Vadim’s experiences.

The Wizard of the Kremlin (131 minutes, without the end credits) begins with a solid premise. It shows us an outsider who became a vital part of an oligarch’s rise to power and lets us see that process through his perspective. The problem with this approach is that Vadim, as played by Paul Dano, has no charm or charisma. He is obviously brilliant, just not in a way that is entertaining to watch. There are no clear emotional levels in his performance. His motivations are dulled by a seeming lack of investment in his own life. He merely goes along when opportunities present themselves. That makes this a story without a center. Vadim is a black hole of dullness, sucking in everything around him.

His love interest is Ksenia, played by the generally enchanting Alicia Vikander. Here, her character is mostly a plot device, and one that doesn’t move the plot along particularly well. She pops in and out of Vadim’s life, understanding him, though not in a way that gets transferred to the audience. Their romance feels superfluous at every turn.

Jude Law is genuinely really good as Putin, to the point where a whole movie focused on him would have had a better chance of being worth seeing. There is a passion to him, along with the arrogance necessary to believe you must be in charge. He will do anything, regardless of who needs to be sacrificed, to maintain control. The movie doesn’t humanize him so much as show that this is Putin. There is no softness. He is relentlessly power-hungry, constantly thinking about ways to strengthen his position and weaken his opposition. That story, even if it were centered around his advisor, sounds way more appealing than this.

Sometimes criticism is complicated. It can be difficult to properly articulate my feelings. Not so this time. The Wizard of the Kremlin is really boring. It has a good premise and a strong performance, yet is otherwise such a drag to get through. Perhaps those well-schooled in Russian history will find it enjoyable. For the rest of us, hard pass.

2 out of 5        

Cast:

Paul Dano as Vadim Baranov

Jude Law as Vladimir Putin

Alicia Vikander as Ksenia

Jeffrey Wright as Rowland

Tom Sturridge as Dmitri Sidorov

Will Keen as Boris Berezovsky

Directed by Olivier Assayas

Written by Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère