Entertaining Political Satire

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2019)

Director and writer Armando Iannucci is famous for brilliant political satire shows 'VEEP' and 'The Thick of It'.
It's no surprise that 'The Death of Stalin' is just as good as those two shows.
After Stalin's unexpected death, the power play between the Council of Ministers begins. It gets very sweary, occasionally violent (a lot of people get shot in the head due to Stalin's lists) and is a lot of fun. The back-and-forth between the council could be its own long-form series, allowing the political intrigue and satire to really be explored. As Stalin isn't in this movie very long, he's treated as a revered, almost mythical figure, to be respected and feared.
There's a great cast, including Jeffrey Tambor, Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin, and Jason Isaacs. The actors keep their native accents. It's a good move as it allows the dialogue to flow naturally rather than be distracted by dodgy Russian accents.
If you love political satire, 'The Death of Stalin' is a must watch.