The death of Stalin
The murderous thug has been turning up a lot on social media these days. Usually invoked when I challenge people on my Facebook feed posting 'Hitler was misunderstood' or 'Hitler was a strong leader who would have stood up to terrorists'. As soon as I chime in that 'no, Hitler was a genocidal madman' immediately said numpty will respond 'Stalin was worse'. Besides the bad taste of comparing bodycounts of two of the 20th century's biggest c*** I find it somehow weird logic that its ok to like one of them because the other is worse. Or that an intense hatred of one means I must really like the other guy, even though I'm talking to a Nazi so communism is irrelevant to the situation. Put me in a room with a Stalanist and I'll say the same thing.
Anyhoo.. The film has been somewhat controversial in that it plays the death of Stalin and the subsequent power struggle that ensued as a comedy. I would argue it totally works however. Firstly the film at no point downplays the horrors committed under Stalin. In fact the film relies on exactly how deadly things were under his regime to up the stakes for each character who must scheme and manoeuvre without really knowing if the person he is scheming with can ever fully be trusted. Certainly the desperate actions of each character can be, and often are funny. The film still maintains an extremely dark edge to things to remind you these are real characters and this is for the most part how things played out (though I'm sure a historian might correct a few things.
For all the people who complain good films don't get made anymore. Heres one. Though I suspect most will go see Jigsaw instead and complain how nothing original or good is made anymore while Hollywood looks at box office and makes more of the one people went to see.
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