The Death of Stalin (15)

Writer and director Armando Iannucci returns in impeccable form with his hilariously skewed history lesson, detailing the events leading up to and the chaotic aftermath of the infamous Soviet leader’s demise.

Steve Buscemi heads up a stellar cast as Nikita Khrushchev, the first secretary of the Communist Party who is granted the daunting task of organising Stalin's state funeral. With every move under fierce scrutiny from Vyacheslav Molotov (of explosive ‘cocktail’ fame, played by a menacingly Pythonesque Michael Palin) police chief Lavrentiy Beria and Jeffrey Tambor’s idiotic George Malenkov, a power struggle emerges within the Kremlin.

Those familiar with superb political send-up The Thick of It and its feature adaptation In the Loop will instantly recognise the hallmarks of Iannucci’s writing; tinges of sharp-witted dialogue and streaks of extreme profanity littered throughout, making for a brilliantly bizarre pageant of madness.

Smartly drawing parallels between the politics of certain contemporary leaders and those of long-dead oppressive regimes, The Death of Stalin entertainingly and successfully argues that once you strip away the banners, badges and bravado, they are hard to tell apart.

“Acted with icy and ruthless force by an A-list lineup who squeeze every gorgeous horrible drop.” (Guardian) (research Chris Coetsee) Don’t miss a drop. Terrifying and delicious.