Overview

• The Venice world premiere drew roughly 10–12 minutes of applause, with Olivier Assayas, Jude Law and Paul Dano in attendance.
• Jude Law said he did not fear repercussions for portraying Vladimir Putin and chose not to attempt a strict impersonation, using his own voice with period styling.
• Paul Dano plays fictional adviser Vadim Baranov, inspired by Vladislav Surkov, in an adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s novel co-written by Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère.
• Early reactions praise Law’s turn while several reviews criticize the film’s energy, length or lack of nuance.
• Shot in Latvia rather than Russia, the competition title is vying for Venice’s Golden Lion, with winners to be announced Sept. 6.