The Wizard of the Kremlin

Le mage du Kremlin

2025·136'

Olivier Assayas

Drama

★ 6.5

Letterboxd TMDB #1291659

Power was the plan. Putin was the consequence.

Russia, early 1990s. Amid post-Soviet chaos, a brilliant young man, Vadim Baranov, charts his path. First an artist, then a reality TV producer, he becomes the spin doctor to a rising KGB agent: Vladimir Putin. At the heart of power, Baranov shapes the new Russia, blurring the boundaries between truth and lies, belief and manipulation. Only the magnetic Ksenia is beyond his control, tempting him away from this dangerous game. Years later, after retreating into silence and shrouded in mystery, Baranov finally opens up, revealing the dark secrets of the regime he helped build.

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