The Wizard of the Kremlin features an actor who we talk far too little about: Paul Dano. In the new film from director Olivier Assayas, Dano chews scenery in the best role of his career.
Dano portrays Vadim Baranov, a man recruited to be the spin doctor for Vladimir Putin (Jude Law in one of his finest turns).
This two-hour-plus film is told in a fascinating style. We meet Rowland (the always incredible Jeffrey Wright), a journalist who interviews Vadim in the film’s effective framing device. In a snowy setting, Rowland and Vadim dig deep into the ways that Vadim came to possess such a powerful role.
Dano’s performance is the very fabric that makes the film such a success. An eventual family man whose job working for Putin seemed to just fall in his lap, Vadim is the type of neutral character that we neither like too much nor despise.
We get to know him and what he’s about as he seems like a portal the director employs to tell the political tale this movie spins so well.
Jeffrey Wright is terrific as he and Dano play off each other like two chess pieces on a quest to win what their characters seem to want to obtain from the interview at the center of the picture. Wright’s work is just as important to the success of this film as Dano’s.
Jude Law’s Putin is a creation unlike anything the actor has ever done before. Law is unrecognizable in the part as he seizes the chance to play the Russian Prime Minister/President with vigor. He is fascinating to watch in every scene as he and his advisors also play a dangerous game among themselves.
The Wizard of the Kremlin never oversimplifies its complex politics in order for us to favor one character over another. However, this film is particularly effective in its scenes focused on the struggles of the people of Ukraine.
There is a quality about the picture that is exceptional. It’s the way the movie never sways the viewer to like or respect the film’s main characters. They are presented in a matter-of-fact-like fashion that plays like gangbusters.
Alicia Vikander has never been better in her role as the conflicted Ksenia. As Vikander’s character connects with Dano’s Vadim, there is a love story created with dramatic tension that one could cut with a knife. These are two remarkable performers who manage to create a memorable dynamic on-screen that will keep all eyes glued to the picture any moment this pair appears.
In support, Tom Sturridge and, especially, Will Keen are dynamite. They play the complex roles of Dmitri Sidorov and Boris Berezovsky.
Keen can play off of Law’s performance like a professional gunslinger. Boris figuratively tries to fire a gun with no bullets at the ever-frustrating Putin, and the results are nothing short of mesmerizing to behold.
The Wizard of the Kremlin excels in the presentation of Putin, a President with no filters, who utilizes Vadim for whatever it is that Putin needs from him at a particular moment. As Vadim’s life is slowly destroyed, one can feel the life Dano’s character once loved slipping away from him one moment at a time.
This is a heart-wrenching film with a brilliant last shot that could really spell out the dark themes of the movie.
When Vadim is unable to go to New York again, it’s easy to see Dano conveying the losses the character begins to suffer. He certainly creates the performance he was born to play in this movie.
Dano has played in some great films like There Will Be Blood and The Fabelmans, but he does something different with his work in this picture.
Here, Dano truly becomes the character he plays in The Wizard of the Kremlin. It’s impossible to see the real Dano here in any way, shape, or form as he acts the part of Vadim out so well.
This is a lengthy movie, but it never feels long. It’s so fascinating to watch that one can become immersed in each and every scene with ease, thanks to the probing direction that never steers the audience the wrong way.
This film wants to challenge its audience to think, and that is exactly what it does.
If there is a flaw, it’s that the movie is quite bleak for more mainstream movie-goers. However, anyone who can appreciate great acting will enjoy this movie’s tense arguments and discussions, which are performed to perfection.
This film is directed with careful precision by Olivier Assayas. This is a convincing portrait of the Russian political structure, even though the movie states that it wants us not to see it as fact-based right from the film’s very start.
The Wizard of the Kremlin won’t change one’s stance on Vladimir Putin, but it will encourage the viewer to examine their own political viewpoints in extremely challenging ways. It’s an excellent film.
The Wizard of the Kremlin is now playing in theaters.
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.