A very expensive TV movie which still doesn't quite hit the mark as it delves into the life of the great tyrant of the USSR. It makes an effort to show Stalin (played by a heavily made-up Robert Duvall) from both sides: a ruthless dictator who killed vast numbers of his own people on a whim, to the family man married to second wife Nadya (Julia Ormond). However, it ultimately draws the same conclusions as history, that here was a cruel and paranoid leader who wanted total control. Stalin's daughter, played by Joanna Roth, narrates and the biopic is shot through with real footage as well as action taking place in genuine historical locations. The performances are solid though, with Maximilian Schell indistinguishable from his Lenin character, but the film is a three-hour epic, so be prepared for a long spell in front of the box.


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