The Death of Stalin (2017)

Iannucci delivers a daring, quick-fire and appallingly funny comedy that lampoons Stalinist Russia with masterful control of tone, blending hilarity and revulsion. The critic highlights the superb cast and Iannucci's ability to tickle the funny bone while cutting through it.

The critic calls it a winning satire with one-liners coming hard and fast, a hilarious take on the Soviet power vacuum akin to Veep going to the Soviet Union.

The dazzling film is a comedy of terrors that creates laughs while never letting viewers forget the real human cost of Stalin and his circle. Iannucci’s take-no-prisoners style is perfect for this blackest of farces, cutting close to the bone.

The film is the best thing Armando Iannucci has done, a hilarious take on a grim subject that finds authoritarianism itself to be a sick joke. It stands out for its sophisticated direction and the way it shows political choices having immediate horrible consequences.

The critic praises Iannucci's sharp satire of Stalin-era power struggles and the cult of personality, highlighting its mix of hilarity and horror. She singles out the strong ensemble cast, especially Simon Russell Beale and Steve Buscemi, and the film's timely resonance.

Iannucci’s film is a startling comedy that dares to make evil funny, with every gag girded by fear. It is funny far beyond what it has any right to be, matching outrage with outrage in its portrayal of the absurd power struggles after Stalin’s death.

Iannucci's jet-black Kremlin comedy proves there are still laughs in political satire, chilling and tickling as it explores the paranoid power vacuum after Stalin's death. The critic singles out the inspired ensemble cast delivering scathing barbs and the fertile ground of the Stalinist setting for the director's unique brand of satire.

The film is a chilling, frequently hilarious historical satire that mixes shocks and laughs effectively while exposing the self-serving awfulness of its characters. Jenkins notes it lacks some of the re-watch factor of Iannucci's earlier work and feels more like a stage farce at times.

This clever offbeat re-imagining of history is always funny despite its uneasy humour, conveying a real sense of Soviet life during the Great Terror and the power struggle. Aldridge praises the well-written script, beautiful playing and standout performances from Simon Russell Beale and Steve Buscemi.

Iannucci's dark comedy about the power struggle after Stalin's death is a blackly comic tour de force with a searing script and note-perfect cast. The critic singles out the razor-sharp dialogue, impeccable comic rhythm, and standout ensemble performances, especially Simon Russell Beale as Beria.

Iannucci delivers a sly wintry satire on political idiocy through delicious mockery of history and inspired casting with incongruous accents that add to the fun. Physical comedy and the ensemble elevate the gonzo pleasures before it tips into horror.

The critic notes how the film walks the line between satire and horror, with glibness adding to the terror in the power struggle between Khrushchev and Beria, praising Iannucci's handling of minutiae and the cast's performances.

The critic describes it as a restrained comedy of manners compared to Iannucci's earlier work, with strong casting bringing the scheming politburo to life through verbal gymnastics and moral contortions amid the power struggle.

The critic highlights the battle between Beria and Khrushchev as the film's strongest satire, praising the casting and farcical elements while noting some difficulty translating Iannucci's style to the Soviet context and uneven handling of darker elements.

Iannucci's sharp-edged satire examines power-grabbing among Stalin's lieutenants with a bleaker tone than his previous films, laced with malice and paranoia. The critic praises Simon Russell Beale's divine performance as Beria but notes some ensemble members can be broad.

The critic finds it a fine sophomore outing from Iannucci, an amusingly engrossing satire on the power struggles and pettiness among Stalin's inner circle after his death. It praises the universality of the impulses shown through the Anglicized approach and banter.

The film is less caustic and more sombre than Iannucci’s usual sharp satires, ending up oddly serious with bleak rather than black comedy. The strong ensemble cast, especially Jason Isaacs as Zhukov, is a highlight amid the morbid sight gags.

Iannucci finds unlikely comedy amid the confusion following Stalin’s demise, mixing verbal fireworks with low-brow gags in a tonally audacious adaptation. The result is sporadically brilliant but uneven, with flashes of brilliance undermined by miscalculated hilarity and inconsistent tone.

The critic calls the film an unceasingly hilarious masterpiece and a time-honoured comedy classic. They single out the exceptional performances and Iannucci's satirical take on political figures as nincompoops.

The critic hails it as Iannucci's masterpiece and one of the most hilarious films of the 21st century, a pitch-black comedy. They single out the dynamite ensemble performances, especially Steve Buscemi.

Iannucci crafts a deliciously clever dark farce about the paranoid power vacuum after Stalin's death, turning monstrous historical events into belly-laugh comedy through ridiculous characters and masterful swearing. An exceptional cast delivers killer putdowns while the film walks a delicate line between humor and the era's suffering.

The critic describes it as a timely, hilarious, bleak satire with a terrific screenplay and strong ensemble. They single out the mix of American, British and Russian accents delivering devastating one-liners.

The critic calls the film a bountiful black comedy that mocks power lust and corrupt politics with sharp, jazzy riffs and memorable dialogue. It singles out the script's ear for derision and one-upsmanship as its mightiest strength.

Iannucci delivers superb satire on the power struggles after Stalin's death, with a master class of comic writing, directing and performing that mixes sharp dialogue, physical comedy and strong ensemble work. The cast shines, especially in absurd and slapstick moments, making it a fun and infectious watch.

Iannucci's darkest project yet turns the post-Stalin politburo chaos into a surreal, intriguing work that blends his signature omnishambles comedy with genuine tragedy and historical weight. The standout cast, including a swaggering Jason Isaacs, makes the mortal tussle between survival and incompetence both hysterical and affecting.

The film is a biting, profane and hilarious look at the foibles of blowhards and nitwits in power, with Iannucci working more quietly and deliberately than in his prior work. It singles out the gallery of dopes and twits, including Jeffrey Tambor's vain and ineffectual Malenkov and Steve Buscemi's blunt schemer Khrushchev, along with the bold anachronistic accents as a rejection of period conventions.

The critic finds the film consistently funny and mean-spirited in its depiction of incompetent power-seekers, though not as sharp as the director's prior works. It singles out the cast and the absurdist take on authoritarian dysfunction for praise.

The critic finds the satire often uproarious and effective when mocking Kremlin hypocrites and vanity, with strong performances and dialogue. It singles out the film's tendency to grow soggy when addressing real consequences as a flaw.