10 Best British Movies Of 2017
7. The Death Of Stalin
Armando Iannucci's brand of political satire has been in the news more than ever this year, as British politics has morphed into the "omnishambles" he created in The Thick of It. Indeed, Theresa May's conference speech coughing fit could easily have been written as another disaster for Nicola Murray. Iannucci, meanwhile, has travelled across Europe and back in time to tackle the postwar Soviet Union in The Death of Stalin.
The vicious satire, written with a dark heart not usually associated with Iannucci's work, follows a galaxy of colourful characters dealing with the titular event. Steve Buscemi is shrewd politician Khrushchev, who finds himself in a straight political scrap with Simon Russell Beale's murderous security chief Beria and effete yes man Malenkov, played by Jeffrey Tambor.
Soviet Russia inevitably creates a more malevolent sandbox for Iannucci and his foul-mouthed quips don't always sit right with that harder edge, but The Death of Stalin remains sharply written and fast-paced.
Most notable is the ingenious decision to work with a variety of accents, allowing Stalin to play an East End gangster and Jason Isaacs to go full Jim Bowen from Bullseye as military man Zhukov. It has to be seen to be believed.