"Inside the Kremlin: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Vladmir Putin's Rise to Power"

In “Inside the Kremlin: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Vladmir Putin's Rise to Power", Jude Law's portrayal of Putin as a man of cold-blooded tendencies is at first a persuasive tale of power play. With Putin emerging almost an hour into the film, Law brings raw realism into the role, showcasing Putin as an uncompromising figure exuding dominance and command.

Set in the 90s, the story presents a failing Russia with an ineffectual president, Boris Yeltsin, who ultimately needs propping up to address the nation on TV. In this time of instability, Putin is deemed a suitable figurehead to lead the new Unity party; a notion quickly revealed to be a serious miscalculation of his unyielding intent.

However, the pivotal person of interest in “Inside the Kremlin” is actually Vadim Baranov. He is a rendering of the real-life shadow counselor, Vladislav Surkov, and is played by Paul Dano. Baranov is depicted as a wily manipulator focused on shaping Putin's image and deftly neutralizing his adversaries.

The film offers a glimpse into Putin's rise to power in the 2000s, but it struggles to provide a compelling narrative owing to its episodic progression. In essence, “Inside the Kremlin” resembles the structure of a television drama more than a gripping cinematic experience. Despite stellar performances by Law and Dano, the film fails to establish a strong dramatic core.

“Inside the Kremlin” inevitably draws comparisons to “The Apprentice,” a drama that depicts Donald Trump's rise, particularly given its narrative arc of political maneuvering. Whilst “Inside the Kremlin” is padded with recognizable moments of 21st-century Russian history, it flickers in and out of substantive issues. It fails to anchor its audience long enough to fully immerse them in the startling reality of Putin's uncompromising regime.