'The Death of Stalin' immediately becomes this year's hidden gem of the season

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2018)

'The Death of Stalin' is the kind of film that makes you want to climb inside the head of the writer/director--in this case Armando Iannucci--and probe all the little dials and sprockets and gears to see what makes him tick.
Iannucci somehow manages to create a wholly original and surreal work of power-mongering satire steeped in dark humor and absurdism while perfectly blending together the largely true events surrounding Stalin's death.
Add to that a powerhouse cast of dry comedy and improvisation, including Jeffrey Tambor, Steve Buscemi, and Michael Palin, combined with magnificent settings, and 'The Death of Stalin' immediately becomes this year's hidden gem of the season.