The Death of Stalin

“Armando Iannucci, a virtuoso of political evisceration . . . turn[s] horror into comedy . . . [in this] eccentric comic shocker about a strong man and his world of ashes and blood.” Manohla Dargis, New York Times

The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). Moscow, 1953: When tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrenti Beria (Simon Russell Beale).

R; 107 minutes

Magnolia at the Modern is an ongoing series featuring critically acclaimed films. Tickets are $9; $7 for Modern members; $6 for Reel People. The Sunday noon show time is half price. Advance sales begin two hours prior to each show.