Am I Missing Something?

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I think it's worth a 7/10 but given the focus on Stalin's way of thinking, I give it a 8/10.Some actors play well, others more like on a theater stage. Some scenes are strangely filmed, more like a theater act for some reason.Not the type of 'entertainment' film, as we would see in a Hollywood production, it's somehow like a narration acted documentary.But the main thing is the focus on the main subject. We get to see that Stalin had normal conversations, daily normal contacts with individuals surrounding him. This because we may see him as an horrifying Godzilla because of his dictator status. The scene at the cemetery with the members of his family is eloquent. Despite the poor acting of some of the family members, we get the picture of a dysfunctional clan, and his place into this clan as well.What was in his mind? From the movie, it seems he had for part of the time a lucid mind and evaluation of things, but this seems coupled with a 'broken' part of his mind, altered perhaps by distressing psychological fear and intense physical abuse perpetrated by his father. His (Stalin's) mind seem to had a deranged area of the brain were there is no judgment but fear, violence, brutality, a willing to preserve his own integrity by destroying what appears to put this integrity in danger. If the movie is right, what triggered this brain area was the fear of others, people who would want to hurt him, to his understanding. What caused him to suspect so many random people in this way is not explained in the movie.Put such disturbed brain at power, at the head of an organization or state, and see what happens.

The history of the Soviet Union was NEVER taught. The USSR killed more than 65,000,000 innocent human beings and NOT ONE Soviet criminal ever stood trail. When USSR collapsed, there were NO trials held for the living, walking, talking Soviet criminals that tortured, maimed, displaced, oppressed, and subverted thousands upon thousands of lives.The Soviet criminals climbed down the Berlin Wall to climb up the White House fence to start another United Socialist States of America (USSA).The people MUST read the Soviet history over and over again. The terrors, the tortures, the horrors, and the evils of Trotsky, Yagoda, Kanganovich, and Carl Marx must NEVER take hold anywhere EVER again.Betty Friedan, the founder of modern Feminism, who had the gall to call "American homes are concentration camps for women" was a Marxist. Marxism will carry over, and through, modern feminism, gay movements, and financial cartels that seek the moral, intellectual, and political corruption by any means necessary.

This is one of the better historical biopics. Robert Duvall manages to do a credible job in portraying the title character - Stalin. Not surprisingly, Duvall is in just about very scene, and he succeeds in doing credit to the role. He approximates Stalin, which is the most any actor could possibly do. The movie works because instead of sensationalizing Stalin's excesses, which are addressed in the movie, it instead deals with his personal behavior, especially his relationships, both personnel and professional, with those closest to him. The movie shows that Stalin was not incapable of love nor of empathy; it also shows that he revered Lenin and was committed to ensuring that Lenin's work continue. The movie also shows what was Stalin's fundamental character flaw - his inability to trust, the cause of which remains unknown. This flaw led to abuses of power that are perhaps unequaled in history. One of the more interesting features of Stalin was his tendency to rationalize his most outrageous and murderous decisions and repress his own feelings, the combination of which made him come off as cold and uncaring. For Stalin did care - about the preserving and protecting the revolution which he identified with himself. Stalin simply could nor separate himself personally from his work, and this distorted his relationships, causing him to do things that were, to say the least, hurtful. Stalin had a tendency to lash out at those closest to him, which made working with him challenging. The movie shows that one had to be careful as to how they acted and what they said around Stalin, because Stalin was looking for any excuse to prove you an enemy of the revolution, which in turn meant being his enemy. If one is interested in learning something about Joseph Stalin the person, then watch this movie.

I could watch this film over and over again - why It was a TV Movie rather than a box-office smash I will never know. Robert Duvall Is absolutely flawless In his portrayal of Stalin - we're talking Oscar-deserving acting here! Roshan Seth as the creepy,selfish, arrogant Laventy Beria Is superb;Colin Jeavons as Yagoda;Jim Carter as Sergo;the great Maximilian Schell as Lenin (what fantastic make-up;I thought Lenin had been reincarnated)!The list goes on,a marvellous mix of International actors who blend beautifully to recreate the lives,times and crimes of Stalin,his entourage and his enemies,both real and Imagined. I've studied Stalin a lot over the years and this film Is about as historically accurate as one could get. This piece of pure genius Is a must-see. Absolutely fantastic In every respect!