Film

The Wizard of the Kremlin at Timișoara Shopping City

Power was the plan. Putin was the consequence.

Drama · 156 min · 2026 · 415 IMDb votes

IMDb 5.7 Rotten Tomatoes 50% Metacritic 54 TMDB 6.9

2 nominations total

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.

Directed by Olivier Assayas

Cast

Paul Dano

Vadim Baranov

Jude Law

Vladimir Putin

Alicia Vikander

Ksenia

Tom Sturridge

Dmitri Sidorov

Will Keen

Boris Berezovsky

Jeffrey Wright

Rowland

Andris Keišs

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Magne-Håvard Brekke

Eduard Limonov

Matthew Baunsgard

Larry

Dan Cade

Agent Johnson