--- title: "The Death of Stalin: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 28 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Death of Stalin (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 28 reviews: 26 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics warmly endorse The Death of Stalin, praising Armando Iannucci’s ability to make political terror funny without forgetting its victims. Praise clusters around the ensemble, particularly Simon Russell Beale and Steve Buscemi, and a script whose insults and petty manoeuvring expose the panic beneath the struggle for power. The reviews repeatedly credit the combination of verbal sparring, physical comedy and fear, with the varied accents widely seen as an asset rather than a distraction. The disagreement concerns how securely the comedy sits alongside the suffering. Variety finds the tone inconsistent, while The Guardian finds the film more sombre and less caustic than Iannucci’s usual work, despite admiring the cast. Little White Lies also sees passages closer to stage farce and less reason to return than with his earlier work. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to qualified admiration: reservations concern tonal control, with little dispute over the performances. ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 16 October 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-death-of-stalin) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-death-of-stalin-review-armando-iannucci-tiff-2017-1201873708/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-death-of-stalin-review-20180307-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/30-minutes-on-the-death-of-stalin) ## Sight and Sound — Lisa Mullen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-death-stalin-deflates-corpse-despotism) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/19/the-death-of-stalin-dares-to-make-evil-funny) ## Total Film — Jordan Farley Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-death-of-stalin-review/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/4/3. 16 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-death-of-stalin) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-75tdzs/the-death-of-stalin/) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 19 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/death-of-stalin-review-98430) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 19 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/10/19/death-stalin-review-armando-iannucci-makes-delicious-mockery/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/03/the-death-of-stalin-walks-the-line-between-satire-and-horror.html) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating B. 7 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-dictator-s-cronies-jockey-for-power-in-veep-creator-a-1823523006) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Rating 3/4. 5 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-death-of-stalin/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-death-of-stalin-toronto-review/5121903.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/death-stalin-review-1036174/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/22/the-death-of-stalin-review-more-bleak-than-black-armando-iannucci) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-death-of-stalin-review-1202551458/) ## HeyUGuys — Daniel Goodwin Rating 5/5. 10 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-death-of-stalin-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 9/10. 10 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/553224/the-death-of-stalin-review-pitch-black-comedy-done-to-perfection-tiff/) ## NME — Olly Richards Rating 4. 19 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/death-of-stalin-film-review-2151536) ## The Playlist — Kevin Jagernauth Rating B+. 10 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/death-stalin-armando-iannucci-review-20170910/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2018/03/film-review-the-death-of-stalin-turns-world-politics-into-a-carnival-of-fools/) ## Den of Geek — Rob Leane Rating 4/5. 18 October 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-death-of-stalin-review-2/) ## The Skinny — Benjamin Rabinovich Rating 4/5. 28 September 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-death-of-stalin) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-death-of-stalin-review-is-this-1950s-russia-or-todays-washington/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 9 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-death-of-stalin-review/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 March 2018. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/03/08/movies/death-of-stalin-armando-iannucci-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin.md