The Wizard of the Kremlin (2026)

January 21, 2026 (FR) • Drama • 136m

Overview

In the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, rising KGB officer Vladimir Putin joins forces with master manipulator Vadim Baranov to reshape life behind the Iron Curtain, using violence and deception to change the world forever.

Director

Olivier Assayas

Writers

Olivier Assayas, Emmanuel Carrère, Giuliano da Empoli

Top Billed

Paul Dano

Keywords

new york city london, england based on novel or book capitalism soviet union stockholm, sweden historical fiction period drama rise to power moscow, russia literary adaptation vladimir putin political figure 1990s russia 2000s russian federation 2010s complicity collapse of soviet union fictionalized history political drama olympics black comedy

Where to watch

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Top Billed Cast

Paul Dano

Vadim Baranov

Jude Law

Vladimir Putin

Alicia Vikander

Ksenia

Tom Sturridge

Dmitri Sidorov

Will Keen

Boris Berezovsky

Jeffrey Wright

Rowland

Andrei Zayats

Igor Sechine

Kaspars Kambala

Alexander Zaldostanov

Andris Keišs

Yevgeny Prigozhin

George Sogis

Boris Yeltsin

Magne-Håvard Brekke

Eduard Limonov

Emmanuel Carrère

Edouard Vercambre

Elisa Lasowski

Marylène

Marija Linarte

Anastasia Chekova

Dmitry Krupnikov

Baranov's Father

Dmitry Turchaninov

Garry Kasparov

Ints Indriksons

Badri

Egons Dombrovskis

St. Petersburg Friend

Vadim Nikolaychuk

Dmitry Medvedev

Kaspars Kārkliņš

White House Official

Clément Gyselinck

Man-Dog

Rūdolfs Rācenājs

Theater Student #1

Santa Breikša

Theater Student #2

Sandis Runge

Wasted Young Man

Sasha Komarova

Platinium Blond Girl

Evisa Petrovska

Butch Woman

Dārta Daneviča

TV Producer #1

Anta Aizupe

TV Producer #2

Mārcis Lācis

Executive #1

Ivars Auzins

Executive #2

Rodion Kuzmin

Executive #3

Tom J. Benedict

Media-Most #1

Romuald Lavrynovič

Media-Most #2

Juhan Ulfsak

Journalist Kursk #1

Olga Ipatova-Ignatyeva

Journalist Kursk #2

Dainis Grūbe

Journalist Kursk #3

Elizabete Marija Brante

TV Journalist

Henrijs Arājs

Anton

Arturs Solmanis

Baranov 12yrs Old

Vaidotas Martinaitis

Baranov's Father's Driver

Helen Omar

Anja

Lija Arseneva

Baba

Varvara Chekhs

Greeter

Niklāvs Kurpnieks

Television Host

Jēkabs Nīmanis

Yeltsin Speech Director

Mārtiņš Freimanis

Head Waiter French Restaurant

Lev Parkhomenko

Reporter Astana

Varis Piņķis

Helicopter Pilot

Alexander M. Johnson

Putin's Secretary

Dan Cade

Agent Johnson

Matthew Baunsgard

US Talk Show Host

Andreas Pumilia

Advisor

Emilia Melodia

Nightclub Dancer

Kristina Matiakh

Nightclub Dancer

Ksenija Litvinoskaja

Nightclub Dancer

Marks Sannikovs

Punk Band

Danila Boikovs

Punk Club

Roberts Jermaks

Punk Band

Artjemijs Belokrilecs

Punk Band

Anton Ganin

Punk Band

Thurston Moore

Synthesizer Player

Evalds Lazarevics

Synthesizer Player

Rim Bravura

Accordionist

Kārlis Auzāns

Cellist

Crew

Olivier Assayas

Writer

Emmanuel Carrère

Writer

Olivier Assayas

Director

Giuliano da Empoli

Novel

Olivier Delbosc

Producer

Thomas Pierce

Executive Producer

Scott Weber

Executive Producer

Yorick Le Saux

Director of Photography

Olita Varpa

Production Manager

Alexandra Abrams

Executive Producer

Lee Broda

Executive Producer

Robert K. MacLean

Executive Producer

Stuart Manashil

Executive Producer

Michael Paletta

Executive Producer

Jeff Rice

Executive Producer

Jürgen Doering

Costume Design

Mareks Bērents

Art Department Coordinator

Aldis Hofmanis

Picture Car Coordinator

Antoinette Boulat

Casting Director

Aksels Millers

Art Direction

Zanda Ramāne

Second Assistant Director

Artūrs Zeps

Third Assistant Director

Brice Bailly

Best Boy Electric

Quentin Boschini

Key Grip

Vera Leyina

Production Assistant

Sergey Manto

Data Wrangler

Maris Pilats

Second Assistant "A" Camera

Emils Skrivelis

Second Assistant "B" Camera

Denis Sorogin

First Assistant "B" Camera

Dmitry Tartishnikov

First Assistant "A" Camera

Joël Li

First Assistant Editor

Marion Monnier

Editor

François-Renaud Labarthe

Production Design

Ryo Murakawa

Hair Designer

Carole Béthuel

Still Photographer

Alex Bouton

Drone Pilot

Benjamin Colleye

Focus Puller

Maéva Drecq

"B" Camera Operator

Stéphane Germain

Key Grip

Lucas Pouzol

Grip

Walter Romand

Drone Pilot

Torben Wenneberg

Gaffer

Frederic Moura

Drone Cinematographer

Lucien Durris

Drone Cinematographer

Emilien Bignon

Associate Producer

Sidonie Dumas

Producer

Sylvie Barthet

Executive Producer

François Samuelson

Executive Producer

Patrick Doherty

Executive Producer

Theodore Shivdasani

Executive Producer

Hugh Strange

Executive Producer

Niraj Bhatia

Executive Producer

Joel Michaely

Executive Producer

Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen

Makeup Designer

Dominique Delany

First Assistant Director

Christelle Meaux

Script Supervisor

Nicolas Cantin

Location Sound Mixer

Nicolas Moreau

Sound Designer

Gwennolé Le Borgne

Sound Designer

Sarah Lelu

Sound Designer

Olivier Goinard

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Guillaume Le Gouez

Visual Effects Supervisor

Alain Carsoux

Visual Effects Supervisor

Yulia Zayceva

Executive Producer

Igor Pronin

Executive Producer

Max Pavlov

Executive Producer

Svetlana Punte

Executive Producer

Slava Samuchov

Stunt Coordinator

Viktorija Žukauskaitė

Stunt Double

Angelin Preljocaj

Choreographer

Janis Jakuss Kreituss

Special Effects Supervisor

Ilze Jakusa-Kreituse

Special Effects Coordinator

Hélène Esselinck

Set Decoration

Aldis Meinerts

Set Decoration

Kerstin Weller

Hair Supervisor

Emilija Eglite

Makeup Supervisor

Frédérique Foglia

Makeup Artist

Jonas Orantin

ADR Supervisor

Nicolas Fioraso

Foley Artist

Taivo Tenso

Best Boy Electric

Reviews

CinemaSerf

⭐ 6/10

April 23, 2026

I suppose to be fair to Paul Dano, he does have something of the look of an apparatchik to him, but otherwise he really fails to deliver anything of the complexities or menace in this depiction of the rise of Vladimir Putin. OK, so Jude Law doesn't exactly convince in that latter role, either, but at least he does resemble his man! "Vadim" (Dano) is an aspiring film-maker of no great skill who ends up working as a television producer just as Boris Yeltsin is beginning to lose his grip. His benefactor, billionaire Boris Berezovsky (Will Keen) convinces him that the next man for the job of President could be the director of the FSB - a latter day iteration of the KGB. Putin is no fool, he knows he has limited appeal to the masses and hates public speaking, but "Vadim" convinces him that can all be managed and next thing he is Prime Minister. Next stop the Kremlin with this former movie man now in a fairly pivotal position as a confidante-cum-gentle enforcer. Perhaps surprisingly, Berezovsky isn't so keen on the creature he has helped to create and when Putin starts to rein in some of the more profligate characters - like Dmitri Sidorov (Tom Sturridge), a flashy gent who just happened to break up the relationship between "Vadim" and "Ksenia" (Alicia Vikander), he flees to the Côte d'Azur - but remains a thorn in the side of this new Czar and his increasing policies of centralisation. As "Vadim" watches how his new master is taking charge of the nation, he too begins to feel a little uncomfortable - and now banned from travelling to Europe what use is he to his boss now? This is an oddly sterile story that could have gone the whole hog and dramatically sensationalised the corruption in post-Soviet politics, but instead it uses Dano as both an actor and as a narrator to deliver a retrospective that is lifeless and even at it's most hedonistic is tame, timid and frankly quite turgid. Given that so much of this is pure speculation, why not pepper it up a bit? Why not draw parallels with plenty of adminstrations in the West that are only in office thanks to spin doctors who know how to manipulate the media to convey a message? There are a few moments when the writing threatens to stray into the realms of the interesting, but then Dano's blandness swiftly snuffs that out leaving us with a glossy but entirely superficial look at not just Putin's rise to power but at the disposability of those who helped him get there. This is a long old watch, and I'm glad I saw it at the cinema. At home, I might have just given up.

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Brent Marchant

⭐ 6/10

May 12, 2026

Political leaders often don’t rise to that level of power without the strategic scripting concocted for them by the little-known kingmakers behind them. And that’s what this fact-based, though satirically fictional, political thriller about the rise of Russian president Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) seeks to chronicle. The film tells the story of professional political fixer Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano), who rises from art school student to television producer to “the Czar’s” righthand man, doing whatever it takes to promote and ensure the power of his boss after the resignation of President Boris Yeltsin (George Sogis) in 1999. Baranov is portrayed here as a soft-spoken schemer who doesn’t hesitate to play both sides of the fence to add to the unbridled clout of the Russian strongman, even if that means pitting social and political opponents against one another if that tactic results in increased backing for Putin’s policies and practices. What’s more, Baranov is so seduced by the prospect of amassing power and influence for himself that he even agrees to support causes that he himself disagrees with. For example, if need be, he’ll willingly back right-wing extremist positions regardless of whether those views clash with the “radical” democratic ideologies he once so whole-heartedly championed during the early days of the New Russia in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But that brand of shameless cynicism carries a high price when it comes to aiding a political figure – a former KGB operative – to help him restore the allegedly respectable “integrity” of the Russian Empire. Baranov’s questionable odyssey is largely revealed through voiceovers by the protagonist and an American journalist (Jeffrey Wright) conducting background research about the 30-year era in question. His dubious exploits come to life through his various unsavory dealings with political leaders, oligarchs and social movements within Russia and surrounding areas like Ukraine and the would-be breakaway republic of Chechnya, most of which, unfortunately, are given short shrift and little more than Cleft Notes treatment. That may allow the pacing to move along surprisingly briskly, but it provides inconsequential depth and opportunities for little more than smarmy quotes by the protagonist in dialogues with clueless cohorts. There’s also a largely needless romantic story thread involving Baranov’s significant other (Alicia Vikander) that could have easily been cut, a move that would have allowed more time to be devoted to the re-creations of the watershed historical events depicted here. And, despite the strength of Law’s fine but underdeveloped performance, the remainder of the cast leaves much to be desired. Writer-director Olivier Assayas’s latest is arguably one of his most commercial works, but, like so many of his other films, it’s another disappointment, even if it’s easier to follow than many of his prior overly cryptic productions. However, that kind of accessibility still doesn’t make for a great picture, especially one whose subject matter deserves better treatment than it receives here.

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