Jude Law As Vladimir Putin Can’t Save This Tedious Slog

Whether or not you already know it or not, we’re kind of in the midst of a Jude Regulation renaissance. The actor has been quietly turning out slyly nuanced performances in a number of movies and collection over the previous couple of years, with The Order being a particular standout.

So, it stands to motive that his newest must be one other good second for the actor, however Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin is a significant misfire regardless of a compelling efficiency from the actor. Primarily based on the novel of the identical identify by Giuliano da Empoli, The Wizard of the Kremlin is billed as a piece of fiction even when it tracks the rise of Vladimir Putin after the autumn of the Soviet Union.

We see this by way of the eyes of Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano, in a cold efficiency), a fictional determine based mostly on Vladislav Sarkov, a Russian politician who pulled plenty of strings behind-the-scenes. On paper, The Wizard of the Kremlin ought to work. Along with Regulation and Dano, the movie additionally stars Alicia Vikander and Jeffrey Wright, takes place throughout one of the vital fascinating instances in fashionable historical past, and is helmed by one of the vital thrilling administrators working at this time.

The Wizard Of The Kremlin Is Difficult To A Fault

In adapting the novel, Assayas opts for a scientific method, framing the story by way of narration delivered by Wright and Dano that does little to offer thematic perception, as an alternative working by way of plot and exposition at a breakneck tempo that makes it really feel just like the film is speaking at us, to not us.

The Wizard of the Kremlin tells its story by way of twin timelines, framing the story from Vadislav’s perspective after his departure from the Kremlin earlier than going again in time to trace his youth as a younger artist rising up in early-90s Moscow. He meets Vikander’s Ksenia and kinds a relationship together with her, however quickly prioritizes his personal political ambitions to put in Putin within the coronary heart of Russia’s authorities.

Regulation doesn’t even make his first look till almost an hour into the movie and, by the way, he seems extra like Martin Freeman than he does Vladimir Putin. Nonetheless, he instructions the display, and Dano’s efficiency actually shines when the pair is collectively, even when there is not sufficient of the previous.

The Wizard of the Kremlin holds the determine at a distance, which often is the level, nevertheless it doesn’t work in a movie that’s so dialogue-driven. It’s meant to be an inside take a look at the political machinations of Russia, however its insistence on preserving us at arm’s size hurts greater than it helps, even when it feels thematically applicable.

With Assayas’ scientific method, there is a stiffness that runs by way of the complete movie that undercuts the power of the director’s imaginative and prescient. There are moments that actually click on (Vikander singing whereas strolling a unadorned man on a leash stands out). However simply when it seems like it is going to hit the fuel, The Wizard of the Kremlin holds again, all the way in which as much as its confounding, out-of-left-field ending that’s each abrupt and fittingly bleak.

The Wizard of the Kremlin on the 2025 Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition.

The Wizard of the Kremlin

Launch Date

January 21, 2026

Runtime

156 minutes

Director

Olivier Assayas

Writers

Emmanuel Carrère

Producers

Jeff Rice, Olivier Delbosc, Stuart Manashil, Lee Broda, Robert Okay. MacLean