The Wizard of the Kremlin
May 13th, 2026
MOVIE: THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN
STARRING: PAUL DANO, ALICIA VIKANDER, JUDE LAW, JEFFREY WRIGHT
DIRECTED BY: OLIVIER ASSAYAS
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 136 MINUTES
Like all great Russian literature, The Wizard of the Kremlin is dour, gloomy, and draped in shades of gray, chronicling the rise of Vladimir Putin through the eyes of the man who once stood closest to him. Or rather, his eventual rise serves as the film’s inevitable destination, as the story follows Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) and his gradual involvement in Putin’s ascent to power. There is certainly intrigue in exploring the mythology surrounding one of the modern world’s most disturbing and controversial political figures, but much like sitting through a high school history lecture, fascination does not always translate into excitement. Sadly, The Wizard of the Kremlin is a detailed and dramatically mounted account of Russian political history with strong performances and plenty on its mind, yet it leaves the viewer feeling colder than an icicle hanging from the Kremlin windows.
The film begins with political writer Rowland (Jeffrey Wright), author of a powerful text examining Putin’s path toward dictatorship, and arriving in Russia to study the work of Nikolai Aseyev. Soon after his arrival, Rowland is summoned to the home of Baranov, who admires his work and begins recounting the story of his life. From his teenage years and the influence of his father to his love of theater, where he eventually meets his future wife, Ksenia (Alicia Vikander), Baranov’s journey takes him from television producer to Putin’s minister of political affairs. Through his narration, we witness Russia moving through war, political upheaval, collapsing leadership, and Putin’s calculated pursuit of absolute power. Nearly all of it is fascinating in theory, but very little of it feels surprising.
There are several aspects of the film I would describe as “interesting,” though not always in a complimentary way. The director is Olivier Assayas, the acclaimed French auteur behind Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Non-Fiction, which makes him an unexpected choice for this material. Assayas co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Carrère, adapting the novel by Giuliano da Empoli. At times, the production carries flashes of style and intelligence, but too often it settles into distracting choices: heavy-handed narration, a distracting patchwork of accents, and pacing that frequently drifts into monotony. My curiosity kept me engaged with the historical material, but I constantly found myself thinking the film should have been far more compelling than it is.
Dano’s performance is one of the film’s strongest elements. He remains fully committed throughout, portraying Baranov as an awkward yet deeply calculating figure, a man emotionally hollowed out by his surroundings. The bigger distraction comes from Jude Law as Putin. While Law undeniably resembles the Russian leader, he performs the role using his natural British accent, making it difficult ever to forget that this is simply Jude Law portraying Putin. It becomes a classic damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t scenario, but Assayas ultimately fails to reveal anything about Putin that audiences do not already know. He is a former KGB agent, ruthless toward anyone who opposes him, and a man who acquired power without an ounce of dignity.
In the end, The Wizard of the Kremlin is undeniably fascinating and often informative, yet frustratingly flawed. Films like this at least strive for something more substantive than the endless wave of hollow music biopics dominating theaters, and Assayas deserves credit for tackling politically and historically significant material. The problem is that importance alone does not make for riveting cinema. Not every chapter of political history translates into a compelling movie. There is very little magic emanating from this Wizard- only cold, oppressive theater, which may very well be the most Russian thing about it.
2 STARS
THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 15TH, 2026.
Written by: Leo Brady
