Director Olivier Assayas with novelist Emmanuel Carrere adapted Giuliano da Empoli’s novel that shows the machinations of political evil at work. While a work of fiction, it does tie in with actual events, and the lead character, Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano, seems to be more than a little similar to Vladislav Surkov.

Dano turns in a solid performance, though I was a little unsure about his accent work, which leans towards the British instead of Russian. But that didn’t deter me one bit from a captivating story, one that documents the rise of modern Russia with Putin as its head.

Putin is brought to life by Jude Law (same accent issue, sorry) who has adapted the man’s phyicality, and has Putin’s frown face down pat.

Accents or lack thereof aside, The Wizard of the Kremlin captivates as a dark story, but completely enthralling film. We follow Baranov’s rise through the ranks of the theatre, television, and then to politics. Where, he works to instate Putin as Boris Yeltsin’s successor.

Putin can’t be controlled, however, and rich oligarchs give way to thugs and political intrigue as we travel through the 90s, 00s, all the way to 2019. Incorporating real footage, the film often has a documentary feel to it, as Dano’s Baranov speaks with a journalist, portrayed by Jeffery Wright.

Baranov lays out everything, not only his life, but his work within Putin’s cabinet, up to and including his possible actions during the invasion of Ukraine.

Assayas doesn’t pull any punches, and the film works as an engaging geopolitical drama, as well as a warning. It provides a fascinating insight as the film follows the collapse of Yeltsin’s democratic vision to the rise of Putin’s angry bear of a country.

The Wizard of the Kremlin screens Wednesday (5:30pm), and Thursday (9:30pm) at The Princess of Wales Theatre. It also shows one last time on Friday (9:30am) at Scotiabank.