Sharp & Cruel

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2018)

Some may be disturbed by its dark humor but the brutal honesty that The Death of Stalin is able to get across while poking fun at the absurdities of the situation is a feat to behold. Never too cheeky and just cruel enough, this film balances its tone through its brilliant acting and clever writing. From the mind of Armando Iannucci and given to the experienced cast of Steve Buscemi, Jeffery Tambor and Simon Beale; this is a movie that oozes with craft. Mixing gags with horrific moments, The Death of Stalin's ambition is only matched by its wit as it takes its viewers through the wild ride of top political power movement and shows off the mixed motivations of its devious characters.
As many comedies do, The Death of Stalin sometimes lacks mind-blowing effects or a surplus of artful camerawork but that is more than made up for with razor-sharp humor. This film's way of pointing out the extremes people will go to for power, manipulation or fear (in a word: politics) is impossible to ignore. This movie achieves every goal that a charged, political comedy wants to achieve because it gets honorable laughs and also leaves viewers with poignant food for thought. Simply put, The Death of Stalin is political satire done right.
Writing: 9/10
Direction: 8/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Acting: 9/10
Editing: 9/10
Sound: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Production Design: 8/10
Casting: 9/10
Effects: 9/10
Overall Score: 8.2/10