Stalin

Stalin was known to be a bloody beast, but this film is too nice on him. No, it doesn't romanticize him in any way, but the reality was much, much worse and bloodier, and the filmmakers could have gone a bit further. On the other hand, Robert Duvall as Stalin is flawless, like two peas in a pod. (21.04.2003)

Not even a nearly three-hour-long runtime can provide enough space, so the filmmakers obviously had to resort to cutting the story down and simplifying it, with the result still being a pretty decent film. The stellar cast, Robert Duvall in particular, helped make it happen. I rank his performance in this film among the best ever. The film made me think of: "Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me." (29.07.2017)