All language subtitles for The.Wizard.Of.The.Kremlin.en

This film is adapted from the novel of the same name.

Although inspired by historical events,

The characters, as well as their statements

Since Vadim Baranov

...de Vladimir Vladimirovitch Poutine,

...the legends surrounding his account,

Most powerful men

When they lose it,

Baranov was of a different race.

According to some, he had withdrawn

Others swore they had seen him in Ibiza...

...surrounded by cocaine-addled models.

Still others supported

Vadim Baranov was moving forward in life

The only certainty

In fifteen years of service to him...

...he had made a decisive contribution

He was known as the Kremlin Magician...

...the new Rasputin.

He arrived at the President's office

...to handle urgent matters.

Perhaps the Tsar himself

sometimes joined them

...or the boss

But these witnesses shed no light on the matter...

...the Tsar's nocturnal activities

When I returned to Moscow

...the memory of Baranov

The press persisted in attributing... to him

...the measures

As for me...

...my recent essay in Foreign Affairs
had caused some controversy.

It was titled: "Vadim Baranov

If needed, dial 9.

Have a good day, Mr. Rowland.
- To you too.

I was on sabbatical from Yale...

...to write the first biography

...great Russian writer...

...and early adversary

I was taking a walk

...I was leafing through old books.

Zamyatin became my obsession.

He was a visionary.

Not only about Stalin,

Silicon Valley oligarchs

From Mark Zuckerberg to Xi Jinping.

His dystopian novel, We...

...had inspired George Orwell for 1984.

On lit Zamiatine

Zamyatin is the oracle of our time.

Are you staying in Moscow for a long time?

I have something to show you.

Leaving the city...

...endless, dark forests

My curiosity was mixed with apprehension.

In Russia, things

But when things go wrong,

Good morning.

Please follow me, Mr. Rowland.

May I take your coat?

I'll bring you some tea.

Do you collect old books?

I don't collect them, I read them.

Big difference.

Are you reading Zamyatin?

I have something to show you
that you will appreciate.

Do you know what it is?

A letter from Zamyatin to Stalin.

He asks her for permission
to leave the USSR.

"Cher lossif Vissarionovitch.

"Like Christians
They invented the devil...

"... to personify
all forms of evil...

"... criticism made me
the devil of Soviet literature. "

Zamyatin understood too much.
too fast...

...and made the mistake of writing it down.

Sit down.

Have you read it?
- Of course.

You took the time to annotate it.

I am flattered.

Let's not get carried away.

But unlike the others,
You've understood something.

Not much, but something.

THANKS.

Do you consider yourself an artist?

Let's just say I played a supporting role.
Now I am retired.

Don't you miss the adrenaline rush?

There is no greater pleasure
than waking up in the morning...

...to have his coffee...

...and to take his daughter to school.

How did the others react?

My departure? Bad, of course.

At court, everything is forgiven:
Thieves, murderers, traitors.

But not the deserters.

"You don't want what for
Are we ready to kill?

And the Tsar?

The Tsar is something else entirely.

My father was afraid
of this library.

It belonged to my grandfather.

Custine, Gratian, Machiavelli...

...the skeptics, the disillusioned.

Not exactly the Soviet orthodoxy.

But to his credit,
He never tried to deprive me of it.

Your father?

He ended up as director of the Academy
of the Party's social sciences.

His sole aim was to avoid
to be woken up at dawn...

...by the KBG knocking at his door.

In his position,
That shouldn't have worried him.

No one was safe.
in the Soviet Union.

Nobody is in Russia, period.

Not me.

Not even you.

In my childhood...

...the most sought-after privilege

...a basket of food

What are we eating today?

Pirojki au saumon...

...lamb chops.

Basically, my problem

In Russia, this is not normal.

The entire Russian elite
experienced Soviet poverty...

...before accessing the villas
from the French Riviera.

She still hasn't gotten over it.

Even the Tsar:

"Me, the kid who grew up in a
municipal...

"... at the back of a filthy courtyard"

"... here I am, received at Buckingham Palace!"

Things have changed.
- Not so much.

In your home, money is essential.

In Russia, what matters,
It's the proximity of power.

The Soviet system was based
on the privilege, not on the cash.

There weren't any yesterday.
Tomorrow, who knows?

Might as well slam it right away.

Do you know what a vertushka is?

A phone without a dial...

...allowing the Party bigwigs
to communicate directly with you.

To have one
was a sign of success.

Look. Here is a vertushka.

Grey, like everything Soviet.

If you find Moscow grey,
Try Washington.

Over there, they are not grey.
They are dead.

Anyway, I'm banned
stays in the USA and Europe.

Is your father still alive?
- Non.

In his world,
It could have lasted a long time.

But Gorbachev arrived
with his glass of milk.

His glass of milk?

No need to listen to Gorbachev
to know that he would destroy the USSR.

All you had to do was look at him.

He went up to the podium

Then he doubled the price of vodka...

...and tried

In Russia!

Do you realize?

Not surprising

That was the end of communism.

He lost everything.

His job, his privileges,
its reputation.

And you?
What were you doing at the time?

My father wanted me to be a diplomat.

But I didn't want to study.

I was reselling televisions,

It worked well.

I started earning more

I was an ignorant kid.

That's why I was better suited

THE NEW RUSSIANS

In the early 1990s...

...Moscow was an electric city.

There were a few brief years

Forbidden books

Soljenitsyne, Pasternak, Boulgakov...

...Art and literature magazines

The Russians' appetite for freedom

I registered

...and I immersed myself

We were twenty years old

...just at the moment

Open the door!

Open the door, you bitch...

...or I'll blow you up!

We were too excited to sleep

We were convinced

...to rebuild society

We could see rooms

...talking until dawn

Do you really think so?
that freedom will change everything...

...that you will experience
in a world of culture and poetry?

Our generation rejected the system.

Our parents bowed their heads, but we didn't.

At the risk of displeasing you...

...communism was the reign
of culture and poetry.

How can you say that?

Under communism, being a failure...

...was the only way to remain dignified.

At least we weren't making any deals.

Get lost!

Kiss my ass!

Perfect.

You impressed me.

Oh yes?

I wanted to tell you this
because it rarely happens to me.

That's interesting.

You are not just anyone.

What impressed you?
- YOU.

Your performance.

What a performance!

You didn't just sing?

You call that singing?

What do you call that?

Trendy nonsense.

I did it to be helpful.

To whom?

To the KGB agents who are watching us.

I am delighted to give them
This will certainly spice up their relationship.

It's a shame.
You have talent.

To do what New Yorkers
What were they doing 15 years ago?

You are a true Soviet.

You think the world
is waiting for you.

And you are not
A real Soviet woman?

My parents were poor fools.

Hippies.

They dragged me around
from community to community.

Today they are old and sick.
and no longer have faith in their values.

One thing is certain,
I will not end up like them.

I have a role for you.

Will you deign to take me seriously?

A role.

Like the ones offered to actresses?

Like the ones offered to actresses.

Alas...

...I'm not an actress
And I have no desire to be.

I would even say
that I've always done everything...

...so as not to be.

Are you familiar with Yevgeny Zamyatin?

An icon of the avant-garde
the most conventional ones.

That's not my thing.

With all due respect, you are wrong.

I'm going to stage his novel We
at the Institute of Dramatic Arts.

You are taking risks.
You're starting to interest me.

Do you own a car?
- Yes.

Walk me back.

I'm fed up with this evening.

In a hurry?

Am I going too fast for you?

I don't know how I establish contact

...but I knew at once that,

...I would never meet

Everyone in starting position.

Scissors, D-503, in position.

What scene are we filming?

Always the same, Yuri.
The mirror scene.

Am I sitting or lying down?

You are lying down, and when you feel the light
You sit down in the Complete Edition.

Above all, be repetitive.

It was excellent, thank you.

The dinner was too casual.
Be more mechanical.

Is the complete series ready?
- Ready!

Continue your actions...

...and when you feel
the light of the Complete Collection...

...you all stand up
and walk towards the windows.

Milana, ready?

Yes!

A nasty case!

Clearly,
You have developed a soul.

Is it very serious, doctor?

Incurable.

But what exactly is it?
I don't understand.

How can this be explained?

Take a surface.

Here, this mirror.

You know that an ordinary mirror
reflects reality.

He absorbs it...

...and keeps track of everything.

My brothers!

You all know it...

...over there in the city, they are building
a spaceship: the Integral.

Down with the Complete Collection! Down with it!

My brothers.

The Complete Collection must belong to us.

And it will belong to us.

When for the first time
She will ascend to heaven...

...we'll be the ones on board.

Because we have with us
The Builder of the Integral.

He left the city.
He came here with me...

...to be among you.

Long live the Manufacturer!

His ambitions may have been vague...

...but the Moscow avant-garde theatre
was unlikely to satisfy them.

I know. I lived through those years in Moscow.

There were no limits.

Everything collapsed and was rebuilt
at the same time.

It was fascinating and frightening at the same time.

Ksenia and I lived in a bubble...

...when life around
It was overflowing with possibilities.

Every day, a former classmate
He came to see me with an idea...

...a matter to be developed.

First, on the bicycle
from his grandfather...

...then in an armored Bentley,
surrounded by bodyguards.

It's more or less
what happened with Dmitry.

Sidorov?
- Sidorov, oui.

Dmitry Sidorov.

I knew him from high school.

Now he was leading

Don't picture an apparatchik.

In the late 1980s...

...the student cooperative

I loved it when he told me about his adventures.

I wanted to write a play

Have you seen Dmitry?

Five minutes ago.
Try the bar.

A new social class,

That was quite surprising.

Bitch!

Glad to see you.

This cafe was my first business...

...but it helped me to launch
more lucrative activities.

Not all of them are legal.

There's no more legality, forget it.
Let me tell you.

Stop writing. Listen.
I am your mother.

Once upon a time...
I acquired a stock of cognac.

Fake cognac.
- False, true, who cares.

I'm selling it for $50 a bottle.

Do you hear?

Nothing. Nobody wants it.

I'm putting them at $500.
We fight to buy them.

You didn't stop at the cognac.

Computers, faded jeans,
souvenirs, softwares...

...thanks to the student cooperative.

A few minor scams.
I find it hard to believe you.

You can't fool them!

These are just anecdotes.
to entertain your audience.

It's a room.

I've come up with a scheme...

...to facilitate payments
between state-owned enterprises.

I borrow money,
I'll move on to others.

In fact, that's what we call
a bank, but...

...in this country,
Who knows what a bank is?

Stupid questions!

Indeed, I created the first bank

Comment?

Commercial Banks
capitalist countries.

A remarkable work.

He described it simply and in detail.

I thought to myself: not bad!

Would you say you are greedy?

Absolutely, yes.

I wasn't.

That's an advantage, in my game.

I like money.

Nice costume.
- Nice shirt.

You have good reading material!

They're one subway train late.
You still had your mustache.

Journalists always have a subway
You're late. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

What a hick mustache.

You did the right thing by shaving it.

Is your piece progressing?

My money on you?
- Yes.

I will not write it.
- For what?

It's over.
You can no longer tell me the truth.

You're right.

But I was never able to tell you everything.

Nevertheless, you told me a little more.

So, you're the famous Dmitry?

I don't see any other.

Vadim says you weigh
80 million rubles per year.

It's true?
- Maybe, I don't know.

He also said
that you are a thug.

Oh yes?

There's nothing wrong with that.

Ulysse Nardin.

A little too flashy to be elegant.

Flashy?
Said the girl with a bear on her head.

In my world, it's better to be flashy.
How elegant to command respect.

Hence that horrible tie.

Eugenio Marinella from Naples, all right!

Beautiful tie.

Never heard of it.

Obviously.
It's a tiny shop.

He moves
to make custom-made ties.

Do we make custom-made ties?

In the world I live in, yes.

Do you like champagne?
Too flashy?

I should have known. From that moment on

Ksenia would choose Dmitry...

...his vulgarity, his energy.

He sensed it immediately.

Me too.

But for a long time

Yes?

I'm coming, I'm coming.

Am I at a bad time?

I wanted to surprise you.

Let's hurry!

Are you hungry?

Glitz galore!

Caviar!

Since that moment...

...Dmitry started

And here I was thinking

...to which Ksenia and I

As if the culture

I like that sound.

The dazzling world of money

Nothing could have deterred him.

But he wanted Ksenia, so he agreed.

...in the ruins of the city of the dead.

As the months went by...

...Ksenia became increasingly sensitive

Everything that had marked

...readings, concerts,

...had given way to activities

Gallery openings

...dinners at the White Sun or the Ermitazh.

Ksenia was becoming more and more intoxicated every day.

Vadia danse!

Vadia! Smile!

I'm smiling!

Communism is dead.
There's a whole world to invent.

You will be part of it.

Vadia doesn't like going out.

Everything he loves,
It's about going home.

I remember waking up one night

I felt so tired,

I had cultivated the illusion

But, day after day...

...I noticed that the way

This had taken the form of irony

"You are stronger than me"

I wanted to tell him.

My suffering

Stop.

Stop!

Stop, you fucking whore!

Do you want some water?

Dmitry, for the tenth time,
You drive too aggressively.

There's nothing I can do about it.

Let Vadim drive
or I hitchhike home.

Do you want to sit in the back?

You're cute, but I'm
even sicker in the back.

I forgot to tell you something.

I'm listening.

I'm leaving.

Is that all it does for you?

You saw me with Dmitry.
You think I missed that?

Between us, it's been over for a long time.

Approach.

You don't bother me.

I was afraid of waking you up.

Sit down.

I finally have an excuse
to stay in bed all day.

I reread the classics and doze off.
That works for me.

There is the illness.

This might seem paradoxical to you...

...but the disease is not necessarily
a serious matter.

The serious stuff...

...like effort, work...

...are the burden of people
healthy.

The dying have nothing left to do.

They can enjoy their days.

I left Ksenia.

I know.

You will have the opportunity to rebuild your life.

I was expecting
to suffer greatly, but...

...I feel light. And strong.

You see.

The theatre is no longer enough for me.

Losing Ksenia made me ambitious.

Are you ambitious now?

That's unexpected.

But I'll take it.
like good news.

I can no longer bear the powerlessness.
of the writer confronting reality.

I want to be an actor of my time...

...not a mere witness.

You know what?

I'll leave you your era.

And without regrets.

It's Sputnik.

The only one who has the right to enter here.

Come here, say hello.

My daughter loves it.

Finally, my father had an attack
And he died very quickly.

We cannot say
that the ceremony made headlines.

Four simpletons were following the hearse
in a dented car...

...overtaken at breakneck speed
by the SUVs of the nouveau riche.

He died too late.

He would probably have preferred
a beautiful funeral.

But in the end, he didn't care.

Finally, I hope so.

I needed to clear my head...

...and Moscow in the mid-1990s,

Imagine all these young people...

...who suddenly saw opening

They could become

...to make a fortune, to travel the world.

It was enough to drive you mad.

The level of violence was unbelievable.

They were firing from all sides.

Private militias

...until the day

Converting my theatrical experience

...was like passing from the cart

A day...

...I was discussing Mayakovsky

The next day, I was sipping a latte...

...in an open-plan office

Forget the First Channel,
Forget about state television.

RTP is a private company.

We're going to play games and do politics.

But in a different way.

The Soviets attempted to suffocate
the country under a pall of boredom.

First rule: don't be boring.

There is one project that stands out from the rest.
This one.

Do you know why?

Because it contains
all the Russian stereotypes...

...without exception.

The provincial babushka...

...the nihilistic student...

...the ambitious little whore.

I read it. It's rubbish.

I've read them all, they're all rubbish.
- Especially that one.

Except that it will work.

We do not produce
only emissions.

All other institutions
collapsed.

It's up to television to show the way.

A reality show about schools...

...where young girls are taught
to attract newly rich people?

Not bad. Does it really exist?

It's a serious problem.
And it works like a charm.

My dream is to be

My dream is to buy for my mother

My dream is to be the trophy wife...

...of Russia's richest oligarch...

...and to live in Monte Carlo.

She's doing a great job.

Seriously, she's great.

This is an excellent project...

...and this girl definitely belongs there.

At that time, the RTP channel...

...belonged to a mathematician

He had bought an old palace

That should have been the seat

...but Berezovsky did

A kind of club, the LogoVaz club.

It was a very exclusive club.

The cream of the political crop,

Imagine the scene.

We are in the Caucasus, in Chechnya.

I have before me a warlord...

...who took
Russian officers held hostage.

This is no laughing matter.

He has already beheaded one of them.

But this isn't politics.
He wants money.

Right away.
I don't have any cash on me.

I don't walk around with wads of cash.

But I see him eyeing my watch.

A Patek Philippe Nautilus
like this one.

So I said to him:

"Do you like my watch?"

"Do you know what she's worth?"
"More than your hostages. "

He told me, "I know exactly
What it's worth. $800,000 used.

That blew me away.
He knew the exact price.

Roustam was far from being stupid.

He told me:

"If you bring back the hostages... "

"... the ad you'll see on TV"
will be worth more than $800,000."

The soldier's fixed gaze.
Zero bullshit.

"You'll benefit. Shall we do business?"

I give him my watch.
I'm bringing the hostages back.

It was the lead story on all the news broadcasts.

At that time,

...sometimes earned me an invitation

Generally, Berezovsky would summon me

...or to recommend me

...or a no less vague mistress.

Between.

Bitch!
- Boris.

Our friend Vadia is a magician.

Thanks to him...

...we crush the competition.

Do you want to leave it at that?

Not sure I understand.

In this country, you run the same risks
whether you're involved or not.

Let me tell you my story...

...you'll understand.

I was peacefully in my corner.

I had built a small business
modern and clean.

To my knowledge,
Your business wasn't so clean.

You were recycling
cars stolen as they left the factory.

I was doing what everyone else was doing.
- Even worse.

You weren't very observant.
about your associates.

Pardon.
- Brief.

One day, a bastard shows up
and wants to steal the case from me.

What is he doing?
He opens a competing business...

...to compete in the market
Like in the USA or Europe?

No, that's not what he did.

That son of a bitch
loads an old Opel of TNT...

...and the train station on my way.

When I pass by, he presses
on the remote control and boom.

Plus de Berezovsky.

Finally, that was the plan.

Unfortunately for him, it didn't work.

I ended up with my head
of my driver in my arms.

I survived.

But that day, I understood.
that if you don't concern yourself with power...

...the power takes care of you.

I went to Switzerland for 15 days
to treat me.

And you know what I did
Upon returning to Moscow?

You learned to play tennis.

Not without difficulty. I hate this sport.

You hate all sports.

The old President, Boris Yeltsin,

Vodka abuse, they said.

He had a sports club built for himself.

He spent his time playing tennis.

It was the only way to approach him.

Let's be clear, Boris was finished.

The elections are coming soon.
its poll numbers are at their lowest...

...His whole little court of scheming crooks
had them at zero.

They quickly understood
that I was their only hope.

All was not lost.

Listen to me...

...Boris Nikolaïevitch.

Russia still needs you.
From your courage and your...

...integrity.

Nobody loves me anymore.

I saved democracy...

...but democracy here means...

...that everyone became poor.

Except for a few clever people like you...

...who collected the winnings.

If you give me...

...control of state television...

...I'll set up an election campaign for you
like nothing we've ever seen before.

You're in the hole now.
In two months, you'll be at the top.

That's how I took control
of the First Channel, RTP.

But be careful.

I kept my word.
I resurrected him in the polls.

You've pretty much sunk his rivals.

Nostalgics for communism,
easy to take down.

You were defending your interests
and those of the oligarchs.

Yes.

That's true. So what?

That's the democratic process.
- Yes.

According to a very vague design
of democracy.

As the meetings progressed...

...the old man started to have fun.

The only problem:

...two weeks before the vote,
He's having a heart attack.

It was hot.

The day he was supposed to record
his final appeal to the nation.

Obviously, we cancelled everything.

But after a few days,
Rumors were circulating.

He had to show himself.

But the doctor refused
that he leave his house.

Too risky.
So we decided, to create an illusion...

...to transport
the Kremlin furniture in his home.

The flags, on their stands.

The one from the Federation on the left.

Be careful of the gap.

The President steps down.

Hello, Boris Nikolayevich!

Come see what we've done.

It's a perfect copy
from your office in the Kremlin.

No one will notice the difference.

Help him sit down.

Dear fellow citizens...

...That's why...

...the homeland...

Let's start again.

Misha, can you slow down the teleprompter?

Again.

Dear fellow citizens...

...July 3rd...

...on election day...

...you don't...

...you won't just vote for Yeltsin...

We're not going to make it.

Make her lips move.

We'll put together some pieces
from his previous speeches.

Yeltsin was re-elected by a landslide...

...then he fell back into a lethargic state.

He suffered two more heart attacks.

During the 4 years of his second term...

...Berezovsky was the real boss

The oligarchs have picked up

That's how my comrade

...acquired an energy giant

He was going to bring it back to him

Olya!

Berezovsky sensed the changing tide.

The Russians were tired.

They had grown up in a homeland

The challenge was to find a solution

So, yes.

I have friends in the Kremlin.

I sometimes lend a hand.

But the scenario has completely changed.

It's no longer a question
to support the current regime.

We need to invent
something new.

Something and someone.

The President will not finish his term.

Someone to embody it.
That's easy.

But we need...

...First of all,
of a party that unites everyone.

The Unity Party.

What do you think, Vadia?

I already have an emblem.

The bear.

Symbol of the Russian soul.

Do you want to be part of it?

I don't know.
I like my job.

It's the same job.

I simply suggest
to move to the next level.

Stop making up stories...

...and invent reality.

With me.

LA LOUBIANKA
FSB Headquarters

The head of the FSB would make a good candidate.

The old man has confidence in himself.

He has proven himself
in decisive moments.

He is a modest man.
You'll like it.

Mr. Putin will receive you.

Enter.

Sit down.

I know why you're here.

Of course.
You are the best-informed man in the country.

I've been thinking, Boris Abramovich.

You see...

...the secret services
have all the advantages of politics...

...without any of its drawbacks.

I am at the center of the system, here.

I am in a good position.
I hear and see everything.

I can intervene effectively
to protect the President and his family.

I've done it before and I'll do it again.

If you tear me away from here
to put me in the government...

...I will end up crushed
like the other Prime Ministers...

...of recent years,
of recent months.

And you will lose
the most faithful guardian of the State.

If we don't move quickly...

...in a year there will no longer be any
Neither President nor family to protect and...

...the first measure
of the new Kremlin boss...

...will be to replace you.

Why me?

I am a civil servant.

Okay, I did...

...a few public speeches...

...but it was never groundbreaking.

The President enters a room,
sniff the air and everyone...

...is won over in two minutes,
laughing, crying...

...as if they were chatting
in his kitchen.

I'm not made of that stuff.

If I may,
Vladimir Vladimirovitch...

...that's exactly it.

The President's personality is unique.

His human qualities enabled
to get our country through...

...of the old Soviet Union
to Russia today.

But it's worn out.

We need someone different...

...which marks a break.

If the President
appoints you Prime Minister...

...you will embody legitimate authority.

The Russians need
stability and security.

You are young, athletic, and energetic.

Something inside you tells you:

"I can assume full responsibility"
of the command. "

Your career in the secret services
is a guarantee of reliability.

To be a man of few words
will work in your favor.

Not against you.

The Russians are tired.
barker-pullers.

The campaign we have in mind...

...will not consist of gatherings
and empty promises.

The challenge will be to make you appear...

...like a politician
of a new type.

Vladimir Vladimirovitch,
I don't know much about politics...

...but I know two or three things
on communication.

There are two dimensions...

...in a society.

The horizontal axis represents everyday life.

The vertical axis represents authority.

Soviet society was hierarchical...

...and suddenly,
by ceasing to be Soviet...

...it became horizontal.

Too much horizontality
is synonymous with chaos.

The Russians dream of verticality.

A psychoanalyst would say...

...that they are waiting for a leader
that would make one forget the mother's language...

...and once again imposes the father's word.

Public opinion forms quickly.

We only have a few months
to convince the Russian people...

...that you are the right man for the job.

And don't forget,
You won't be alone.

I will be by your side
to help and advise you...

...when you need it.

It's in the bag.

It's not a Nobel Prize in science,
But it will do the job.

I nodded and laughed with him...

...but things

...which Berezovsky did not perceive.

When he spoke to him

...I had sensed a hint of annoyance

And then there was that flash of irony...

...when Boris had promised

As if the only idea

...was extremely comical

Hurry, Vadim Alexeïevitch.

Vladimir Vladimirovitch attend.

Good day sir.

What do you recommend?

We have excellent scallops...

...with cauliflower mousseline.

A bowl of kasha.

Two.
- Yes, sir.

I have a lot of respect for Berezovsky.

I am grateful to him...

...of his offer, but if...

...I'm embarking...

...in this...

...adventure...

...it will be by relying on my own strength...

...not on someone else's.

The President of Russia cannot...

...nor should it...

...to be subject to anyone.

That's inconceivable to me.

Your analysis from the other day
was very interesting...

...but first we must
clarify a point.

If you accept my offer...

...you will work exclusively
In my opinion...

...Vadim Alexeïevitch.

I've been thinking about your concept
of verticality.

He is powerful.

But it cannot remain abstract.

We need a well-defined scene
where to restore the verticality of power.

Otherwise, we will appear defenseless...

...like all other politicians.

Indeed, Vladimir Vladimirovich...

...but it is not enough
to snap your fingers.

There are unforeseen events.

Unexpected events always happen.
the result of incompetence.

It depends on the circumstances.
- The circumstances?

They are right before our eyes.

Can't you see them?

Islamic fundamentalists.

They are no longer satisfied
from Chechnya.

They want Dagestan...

...Ingushetia, Bashkiria.

If we let them do it...

...in a few years, there will be nothing left
nothing from the Russian Federation.

Excuse me, but I would think twice about it.
before getting involved in this mess.

In recent years...

...Chechnya killed
more political careers in Moscow...

...so many enemies on the battlefield.

None of them devoted enough energy to it.

All these politicians
wanted to start a war...

...who didn't dare say his name.

A humanitarian war...

...like the Americans.

I'm talking about something else.

The Nobel Peace Prize
I'm not interested.

What interests me...

...it's about restoring integrity
of the Russian Federation.

I'm not talking about geopolitics.

That's not my area of expertise.

What I can say, however...

...that is, politically,
It's suicide.

That's where you're wrong.

You are designing an election campaign
In the Western style:

...two teams of economists
discussing PowerPoint presentations.

In Russia...

...power...

...it's something else entirely.

That day, I didn't understand.

...but I left that lunch

Berezovsky had just committed

The first days of August...

...Boris Yeltsin appointed a new

The appointment of Vladimir Putin

He was the 5th head of government

Our offices were located

...nicknamed the Russian White House.

A huge block of mothballs

One floor had been vacated

Putin knew he had little time.

He didn't intend to lose any.

Tell that son of a bitch...

...that the Prime Minister
wants results on the ground.

It doesn't matter how.

We are not living in the era of the media.
but politics.

We are here to produce results...

...not flimsy excuses.

I received your surveys.
Help me break them down.

I agree with you.
I need to see Goussinski.

We are on the right track.

Who cares about Dmitri Anatolievitch...

...we should have already arrived.

Where is Goussinski?

Unfortunately, he was unable to come.

Are we not important enough to him?

He is abroad.
- And you are? His messengers?

We control the chain.

Then you will tell Mr. Goussinski
the following:

The policy of the Russian Federation...

...is not defined
in the NTV offices.

That wouldn't cross one's mind
by Mr. Goussinski.

I'm watching the Koukly...

...your political puppets.

Sometimes I find it funny.
That makes me laugh.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister
does not share your sense of humor.

He suspects Mr. Goussinski
wanting to harm him.

No, never in my life.

It's a shame he's not here.
to explain it.

You represent the Prime Minister
like a dwarf.

That's incorrect...

...A stunted child manipulated by the oligarchs.

In the minds of comedians,
It's more like a child.

Exactly.

And that's a laughing matter?
A childlike dwarf?

It's a satirical show.

The Prime Minister defines
the line between satire and insult...

...especially during election periods.

The Prime Minister
defined a red line.

Mr. Goussinski will easily guess
where she is.

Otherwise, he'll learn the hard way.

Good day!

I was working 18 hours a day,

...each involving

But the more I sank into the routine

...plus the world

...and missed opportunities.

That's when the unexpected happened.

One autumn night, shortly after midnight...

...a huge roar ripped through

Rue Guryanova,

...hundreds of kilos of explosives...

...cut in half

Dozens of sleeping families...

...were engulfed by the explosion.

Four days later...

...a second explosion

...and destroyed another building

More than one hundred victims.

That was our 9/11.

Until then, the war in Chechnya

But when the buildings

...the Russians found themselves

Of course...

...You know...

...what people say.

They say we pulled it off.

Finally, us: the FSB.

This is not just a rumor.

There are serious and consistent indications.

Frankly, I don't know.

If this is indeed a secret,
Thank God, no one confided in me.

But why would we have done that?

Our victory was assured.

To instill fear.

So that the Russians
feel threatened by the Chechens.

And to justify
the Second Chechen War.

Which was perfectly timed
to prepare public opinion...

...to the advent of an authoritarian regime.

I don't like to express myself in public.

The people need to hear your voice.

Here, on a state visit,
Not from the Kremlin.

Give them a sense of urgency.

I am not an actor.

I'm going to stick to that
to a simple statement.

You would have ordered
to bomb Grozny airport...

...in response to the attacks.

Don't you think that...

...risk of making the situation worse?

I'm tired of these kinds of questions.

We will strike the terrorists
wherever they are hiding.

If they are in an airport,
We will hit the airport.

If they are in the toilet,
Excuse my language...

...we will go and kill them
even in the toilets.

You have no idea of the impact

...on the Russian public.

Finally, the voice of command
and control...

...that the Russians
had stopped hearing.

Stalin's voice?

Not Yeltsin's, in any case.

Nor that of Gorbachev.

On that day, Putin became the Tsar.

THE VERTICAL OF POWER

Mr. Prime Minister,
We cannot land in Goudermes.

Visibility is insufficient.

I planned to spend New Year's Eve
with our troops.

We need to land.

We need to land!

We need 150m of visibility.

We barely have 100.
It's too dangerous.

We have troops
stationed in Dagestan.

They are ready for the review.
That could be an option.

If the Tsar wanted to celebrate the New Year

...that's where we would go.

At 1 a. m., aboard jeeps,

33e division, lieutenant-colonel Fédorov.

Welcome to the base, Mr. Putin.

Gentlemen, what you are doing
is very important.

People believe in you.
I came to tell you.

We are proud of you.
You work hard.

I know what you did,
That was very brave.

I want you to know
that the Russian people...

...thinking of you...

...and is proud of you.

Good year.

Wait.

I would like to drink to the health of the injured.
and wish...

...to all those present, a happy new year...

...but we have serious tasks
ahead of us...

...you all know that.

We are not just fighting
for our honor and dignity...

...but to put an end
to the collapse of Russia.

We cannot afford
a second of weakness.

If we let our guard down...

...those who are dead...

...will have died in vain.

I therefore suggest
to put down our glasses.

We'll have a drink, but later.

I'm leaving.

I am leaving before the end of my term.

I understood that it was necessary.

Russia must begin...

...this new millennium with

...and I leave you in complete confidence...

...with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

The Yeltsin era is over.

Your friend Berezovsky needs to understand...

...that I'm fed up
of these stupid memos.

I thought he was our friend.

Boris is a very intelligent man...

...but his intelligence does not protect him
of his stupidity.

Let him in.

Boris Abramovitch.

Approach.

Sit down.

I read your messages...

...some of your memos.

You've always given good advice.
I'm listening.

Volodia, you made me wait an hour.

You wanted this interview.

We're here.

Vas-y.

I'll be brief.

We are becoming too negative.

Too dark.
It's war, we get it.

You are a great general...

...you will lead us to victory.
But let's make an effort.

Let's give some hope
to those poor Russians.

Otherwise, instead of voting for you,
They're going to jump out the window.

Meetings, concerts...

...commercials, posters!

We need to make ourselves heard.

Who will pay?
- Me, of course.

You have given up
to free advertising spaces?

That's correct.
It's a choice, our strategy.

We'll see if the facts prove us wrong.

If you continue,
People will forget you're a candidate.

Don't be ridiculous, Boris.

I have been serving as interim president for 3 months.
We are the government.

Our campaign is about current events.
what we do...

...the history we are writing.

Nobody believes in advertising anymore.

Facts are the only advertising
which interests us.

The Tsar had restored

...and the voters

He was elected president

Berezovsky has stopped attacking the Kremlin

Indeed, his journalists mocked

...but Boris was expecting something else:

...the opportunity to show the Tsar

SOTCHI
Summer residence of Russian Presidents

I remember that you prefer...

...perfectly.

Thank you for remembering that.

Sir...

...On August 12, 2000, the Kursk...

...one of the greatest

...sunk during an exercise

There were one hundred men on board.

Some died instantly.

Others were trapped

This was the opportunity

We rented a helicopter
to monitor the area of the shipwreck.

Has she been identified?
- Yes.

The news has just broken.
No help was available on site.

Scandalous.
This is what needs to be denounced.

Russian experts
refuse to get involved.

Look elsewhere.

We have a team in Germany.
NATO has offered its assistance...

...but the Russian navy refused it.

They are spy ships.

Russia cannot humiliate itself
in front of them.

Can't he humiliate himself in front of them?

Ask the families
what they think about it.

That's what we do.
- Television is about emotion.

Emotion is about families.
Can you imagine their anguish?

Their relatives, perhaps still alive,
locked in a sealed compartment...

...and help that never comes!

How long will it take?

Our sons are paid $50 a month...

...and they're stuck

What was the point of raising my son?

Who can understand us?

Not you, the people in power.

All you think about is getting fat!

Our sailors don't have enough to live on.

The situation was out of control.

I rushed to Sochi.

I didn't understand why Putin

What do you want me to do?

They're all dead, that's obvious.

We'll know when we reach them.

According to all the experts,
There are survivors.

That's a fact. They must be saved.

Whether they are dead or not,
Berezovsky is trying to harm me.

Everyone is waiting for you to act.

I will act
when I deem it appropriate to do so.

Your composure
has done a lot for your popularity...

...but it turns against you.

The Russian people are suffering
And you're not with him.

This is serious.

Like the authorities

...RTP organized a subscription

Call this number for help...

Do you realize?

They destroyed the state.
They looted it for ten years.

They ruined our army
And they organize collections!

Those bastards should just sell...

...their chalets in Saint-Moritz!

Call me that son of a bitch!

Do you realize what you're doing?

Your channel gives a voice
24 hours a day...

...to prostitutes
playing the wives of sailors.

What are you talking about?
You're delusional.

These are their real wives.

You are state television, Boris.

And you are plotting against the presidency.

What does that mean?

What does that mean, exactly?
I have a question for you!

I have a question for you.
Vladimir Vladimirovitch.

What are you doing?
On holiday on the Black Sea?

Shouldn't you be in Murmansk?

And where are you?

He's laughing... Where are you?

On the French Riviera?
What are you doing here?

Finally! I am not the President.
We don't care where I am.

And it just so happens that I'm in Moscow.

Think about it, Volodia.

If you go to console

...you'll make the ratings explode.

And our channel will put
All its firepower at your service.

And you know it's considerable.

SO?

We're going back to Moscow.
We're organizing this fucking meeting.

We have no choice.

And as soon as we got out of that mess...

...we'll take care of your friend Boris.

How could Boris have imagined...

...that he would tolerate
a relationship of equals...

...with one of his subjects?

All the oligarchs were wrong.

By deciding to bet on Putin...

...they thought they would change
Straw man, not system.

Taking his television to Berezovsky
It was a piece of cake.

He did not control the majority of them,
only 49%.

It was enough to inform
the CEO of RTP...

...that from now on,
He would take his orders from the Kremlin.

He doesn't mean you any harm. He respects you.

Stay quietly in Moscow
and do whatever business you want.

But give up on politics.

Politics is his business.

Putin is a pure product of the KGB.

Of the most ferocious kind.

He will put Russia in chains.

And everything we've done in the last ten years
to become a normal country...

...will be swept away.

Even you, Vadia.

You are building a regime
worse than the USSR.

At least, back then...

...the Party was muzzling
the KGB's watchdogs.

Now, the Party no longer exists.

The FSB is worse than the KGB.

Who will stop them? You?

Definitely not.
You have become one of them.

They are ferocious beasts.

They come from nothing.

They carved their own path
with blows from a club.

No rules, no limits.

They are hungry.

An atavistic hunger.

They were humiliated.

They come from centuries of humiliation.

They have to take everything, right now.

Because they know that the wheel turns.

Perhaps, Boris.

I don't know.

But I know that Russia
It's always been done that way.

With an axe.

UN HEADQUARTERS
New York

Cautiously,

During this time,

When you reach the summit...

...politics propels you

The world's leaders

But they form a narrow circle.

They had time to learn

You may be feared and respected

...here, you're just the new kid on the block.

The Waldorf Astoria is the best hotel.

The protocol reserved a floor for us.
Twenty rooms.

Penthouse?

Non.

For what?

The top three floors are reserved.
yearly by the Saudis.

It will take less than an hour.

15 minutes to get to the studio,
30 minutes for the interview and 15 minutes for the return.

That's a great win for us.

What is this?

It's frozen.

The motorcade of the US president
is in motion.

No one else can move.

How long does it last?

It depends.

So, what's it like to be a spy?

Not very different

Information is being gathered,

...and it is presented to the decision-makers

Did you enjoy doing that?

The intelligence allowed me

...to develop certain qualities...

...management qualities.

A learning experience.

The Kursk tragedy

Tell me, what happened?

What happened to the submarine?

It sank.

If Martians...

...were seizing power in Moscow...

...the USA would recognize them immediately
as a legitimate government...

...provided they don't touch
to their interests...

...and continue to process them
in patterns.

The problem is that they believe
to have won the Cold War.

But the Soviet Union...

...did not lose it.

The Cold War has ended
because we put an end to a dictatorship.

It's not the same thing.

The Warsaw Pact has been dissolved.

They were offered peace...

...not surrender.

They should remember that.

From time to time.

Lemon t'estime.

I thought he despised me.

He is a visionary.

Everyone has their place in their party.

So, what do you think?
of my revolutionary vanguard?

The Kremlin is not trembling
in his boots.

The Kremlin is quite wrong. Sit down.

So, how was the trip?

You know how it is over there.

Still quite fun, I'd say.

New York can be fun,
if we avoid the Americans.

Which one do you prefer, Edward?

This one.

You went
to one of their society dinners?

All men have studied
at Princeton or Yale.

Their children
They go to the same schools.

At least, younger...

...I could have a little wife
blonde in the toilet.

The discreet charm of the bourgeoisie.

It's the same everywhere.

No, Vadia.

America destroyed the bourgeoisie.

The bourgeoisie had values.

These people do not believe
than in the numbers.

Boring as hell.

The problem is not imperialism...

...that's American culture.

You were interested in it
before she swallows you and spits you out.

When I saw Yeltsin...

...transform Russia into a version
low cost from the American hospice...

...I decided to found
the National Bolshevik Party.

You know why
Did I name it that?

To make you furious!

Naz-Bol!

We're gathering ex-Stalinists...

...homosexuals and punks...

...anarchists, skinheads...

...religious fanatics...

...from Buddhists to Orthodox Christians.

The most difficult thing is to avoid
that they kill each other.

Trust them, it will come.

You don't understand.

These young people want to flee
the boredom of a mundane life.

They are in search of heroism.

It would be a shame to ruin that.

Can you pass me a cigarette, Sergei?

I need to walk.

I had always considered Limonov

...completely devoid of political sense.

I wasn't ready yet

But his arguments seemed to me

Not the fruit

...but much more

THE END OF THE OLIGARCHS

Vladimir Vladimirovitch...

...Vadim Alexeïevitch is here.

Enter.

Where does my popularity stand?
The elections are approaching.

Nothing to worry about.

Around 60%.
The next candidate is capped at 12%.

They are negligible.

There's a Russian who's more popular than me.

Stalin.

He has been dead for a while.

You intellectuals,
You denounce the horrors of the gulag.

In your opinion, Stalin was popular
Despite the massacres. False.

He was popular because of the massacres.

Because he knew how to deal with it
A thief, a traitor.

You know what he did
when Soviet trains...

...have started to go off the rails?
- Non.

He had the director shot.
for sabotage.

That didn't solve the problem.
That may have made it worse...

...but it provided an outlet for the rage.

Rage is a structural given.

There's no point in fighting it,
It needs to be managed.

Do you want to feed the rage?
- Yes.

The people want a head.

Which?

That of the most arrogant of oligarchs.

Dmitry Sidorov.

Your ex-friend.

It seems he stole your wife.

You should be happy.

It didn't last.
It's far from me.

He is preparing to relinquish the majority
from his oil company...

...à Exxon Mobil.

He has been working there for a long time.

He will become rich
of 20 billion dollars...

...by placing our energy giant
fossils under American control.

A Russian company would acquire
an international stature.

No, that's wrong.

He amasses a war chest
to challenge me in the 2007 elections.

How do you know?
- What do you think? He's being bugged.

"Non-entity. "

That's what he calls me
with his friends in Washington.

A "non-entity".

Or when he explains that once elected,
He will change the constitution...

...and will dismantle our nuclear arsenal.

"Non-entity"!

"Non-entity"!

This man...

...made me eat more mud
that I can swallow.

I gave the order...

...to have Dmitry Sidorov arrested...

...tomorrow at dawn.

He is going to Siberia.
He needs to fill up the tank.

We'll pick it there.

The cameramen and journalists
will already be there.

It's up to you to orchestrate all of this.
for the media.

That's it.

We're here.

The news spread around the world.

With the effect of recalling

For you Westerners,

A politician has been arrested.

But a billionaire? Unthinkable.

Your company is founded

...that nothing surpasses money.

My job: to make Dmitry's fall

It wasn't difficult.

The masses have always loved it

There is no more bloodthirsty dictator.

Once Sidorov was arrested...

...Putin's re-election

Therefore...

...the nature of the Russian government

The struggle for power

...for the Tsar's entourage.

The state was once again dependent

There are those whose office

...and those who are on his direct line.

Those who accompany him abroad...

...and those who go on holiday to Sochi.

No detail should be overlooked.

From the seating plan

...during the waiting time

...nothing escapes

I adapted to the new diet
because I adapt to everything.

But others
were much better than me.

Like Igor Sechine?

Especially Igor Sechine.

Like many men of his kind,
He drew his strength from being underestimated.

When the time of courtiers came,
He was in his element.

He was even the chief courtier.

With Dmitry Sidorov in prison...

...what to do with his business?

Sechine made short work of him.

Judicial seizure, public auctions

...and it ended up in the purse

...that he doesn't even have

So, did you get what you wanted?

That's what the Tsar wanted.

He wanted Dmitry's box?

What he wants,
It's about destroying the oligarchs.

And replace them
By siloviki like you?

Russia has always needed
of men of strength.

Military personnel, spies, police officers.

That's why I'm here.

And that you take what you want.
Bravo.

If you want to phrase it like that,
Vadim Alexeïevitch.

Be careful.

He is returning from the G20 summit in Berlin.
Tired, in a bad mood.

It's always the same,
I'm being treated as if I were...

...the president of Finland.

But beware!
They should be wary.

The ability to inspire fear...

...is the only weapon of a poor man
to preserve her dignity.

I learned it in the street.

Except that by scaring the enemy...

...we risk scaring the markets.

We can't afford that.

The markets
have never led Russia.

Maybe once.

Perhaps once under Yeltsin.

And what was the result?
The law of the jungle.

We need...

...to take control.

The control
of all the country's riches.

The forests, the mines,
gas, oil.

We will put them in
serving the interests...

...and the greatness of the Russian people.

Just like with Dmitry.
- What, Dmitry?

The oil monopoly...

...passed from Sidorov's pocket
to that of Sechine.

What does this have to do with interests?
And the greatness of the Russian people?

The weather is nice.
You should go for a swim before you leave.

Thank you, but another time.

Do you prefer Sochi?

You know why I'm here.

I'd like to hear you say it.

- According to rumor...
- You wouldn't come here because of a rumor.

According to highly reliable sources...

...you are a strong supporter
Ukrainian protesters.

Since you know...
- Putin is furious.

I was worried. In fact,
You are the bearer of good news.

Ukraine is an integral part
of Russia for centuries.

Do you really believe that?
- I am only the messenger.

Do you know what he said?

"Go see that asshole. "

"Tell him he's going too far... "

"... and tries to reason with him. "

Do you know about his problem?
- I know what you think.

That he is not a politician,
but a KGB man, a spy.

He is not a spy.
A spy gathers accurate information.

He's a counter-spy.
His job is to be paranoid...

...to see conspiracies everywhere...

...to invent them if necessary.

You have been in exile for too long.

You're out of touch.

As if these poor Ukrainians
had no reason to revolt...

...against a pro-Russian government.

You know who the main supporters are.
Ukrainian protesters?

The CIA, the US State Department...

...the major American foundations...

...George Soros and you...

...to the tune of $30 million...

...or so they say.

That's politics.

And you know what?

That's democracy.

You have forgotten the meaning of this word
for a long time.

I am not here by choice.

I live in exile, Vadia.

If I set foot in Russia,
I will end up in Siberia, like Sidorov.

Boris...

...despite our differences,
The Tsar has maintained his friendship with you.

You were able to sell your Russian assets.

1.3 billion, isn't that right?

They were worth much more.

What if I persist?

Are you going to send killers after me?

Look. I have some too.

And they're better than yours...

...because I pay ten times more for them.

I didn't come here to threaten you.

I understand your resentment.

But do not turn against your country.

Putin's Russia is not my homeland.

With all our flaws...

...we had managed to build
a free country...

...where one could say and do
that's what we wanted.

A first in Russian history.

And you messed it up.
in a few years.

You brought Russia back
to what it has always been:

...a prison on a national scale.

Like in Soviet times.

Is that your boat?

Nothing is ever mine.

Not in the way you mean it.

At the expense of the oligarchs?

Are you scared?

Let your teachers learn this?

My masters?

From what I hear...

...you have placed yourself at the service of power.

If you want.

You don't like it very much
Vladimir Vladimirovitch.

No. You're right.

I don't like power.

Even less so when you're telling your own story.
that it is modern art.

Excuse me Vadia, but I find you vile.

Want?

That's a strong word.
- You deserve it.

You didn't answer me.

We are profiting from the money
Oligarchs?

This boat belongs
to an entrepreneur from Portland.

He invented a software program at the age of 24.

Multimillionaire at 26.

He sold his company to Microsoft at the age of 28.

Since then, he's been bored stiff.

He would like to have another idea
in his life...

...but she is slow to come.

Are you sleeping with him?

No way.

When I get the idea for a jewelry line...

...he finances it.

Sometimes he earns a little money.

For him, cherry stems.

And he lends you his boat
Whenever you feel like it?

Yes.

When the world bores me,
that is to say, often...

...I have come here to take refuge.

A gilded cage.

Your comfort zone.

I liked Dmitry.

We had a lot of fun for a few months.

I loved the crazy, carefree spirit of the time.

And you dumped him too.

I wasn't cruel.

Not this time.

We drifted apart.

Dmitry was interested in oil.
It didn't bring him luck.

And for a few years,
I preferred Los Angeles...

...to the rest of the world.

Did Hollywood meet your requirements?

Hollywood!

I stayed away from Hollywood.

It's like Moscow.

Only power relations matter.

The rest is negligible.

I loved the desert.

I loved the ocean waves...

...driving on the Pacific Coast Highway.

And when I wanted to go to Japan,
I was going to Japan.

This is my favorite cove.

Your plane is waiting for you.

Tonight, I will be in Moscow.

How sad.

ORANGE REVOLUTION

MAIDAN, INDEPENDENCE SQUARE
UKRAINE - 2004

The following autumn, as expected...

...the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated.

The protesters refused

By the hundreds of thousands,

...on the main squares of Kyiv,

...their brightly colored tents

Don't get distracted.

Stay on the Maidan!

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians

Suddenly,
international observers...

...came out of the woods
to contest the election results...

...won by the pro-Russian candidate,
Yanukovych.

These elections
were notoriously rigged.

As it happens, I was there.

Oh yes?

We had just voted in Iraq.

American soldiers
controlled the polling stations...

...and everyone thought it was great.
But not in Ukraine.

No. In Ukraine, a new vote was necessary...

...because the result
was not the right one.

They called this farce
the "Orange Revolution".

The previous year, in Georgia,
It was the "Rose Revolution".

Yet another poetic revolution...

...pretty girls and noble ideals...

...but it's still
a vassal of the Americans...

...who is propelled to power.

Are you seriously thinking
that it requires a CIA conspiracy...

...so that the Ukrainian people
moves away from Russia...

...for the benefit of the European Union?

Which people are you talking about?

Do you believe that everyone
Do you find your Europe so desirable?

No need to be a fortune teller,
It will soon be Russia's turn.

The next color revolution
will be in Moscow.

The future president
of the Russian Federation...

...will graduate from Yale.

The process seemed inevitable.

The youth couldn't take us anymore
and the Americans...

...exploited this revolt.

To survive,
We had to be stronger than them.

The old methods
had served their purpose.

Stop the agitators,
expel the diplomats.

And if we were in a bad mood,
to eliminate opponents.

I don't believe in any of that.

So I took the risk
to adopt a different tactic.

The President has been informed of your arrival.
He sends you his greetings.

Alexander Sergeyevich...

I've been following you for a few years now.
with your Night Wolves.

You impress me.

You take these lost souls and...

...you give them a house.

A discipline.

Our group brings them
two things they lack:

brotherhood and strength.

You are not just a group of bikers.

You are true Russian patriots.

We have values.

Those of Russia.

Those of our Holy Mother
the Orthodox Church.

I understand that perfectly, Alexandre
Sergeyevich, and the President too.

Wolves are not
nothing but predators...

...they are also the guardians of the forest.

Did you see what happened in Ukraine?

Yes. A revolution.

A coup d'état.

Do you know who took power?

The Americans.
- Bravo!

They created
a youth organization...

...funded free concerts
on the Maidan.

I bet even the orange ribbon,
It's the idea of an advertising executive.

Everything is custom-made
for young people...

...because their energy
is the most valuable commodity.

Their frustration...

...their desire to change the world.

Young people need a cause.

And from an enemy.

We need to give them a cause
and an enemy...

...before they choose them
themselves.

Or worse, that the Americans
they choose them for themselves.

Except we can't do that.

Look around you, Alexandre.

Just a bunch of bureaucrats in suits and ties.

We are the adults...

...we are the power.
We are their real enemy.

You're younger than me, I think.

You took a different path.

You embody freedom and adventure.
Your vital energy is intact.

Young people can feel it.

The Tsar is with you.
He is your brother.

He is not a bureaucrat.

He likes speed,
He does judo, he hunts.

He belongs to the race of conquerors.

Do you think he would come?
to one of our gatherings?

Of course.
- The Wolves of the Night would be honored.

We will organize a gathering
young patriots.

We will launch the fight
against the real enemy:

...the decadent West
and its false values.

The Maidan, but upside down.

Exactly.

Russia must become a place...

...where one can vent their rage
against the world...

...while remaining
a loyal servant of the Tsar.

In fact, you want
to make revolution impossible.

Let's say we want
abolish the need for it.

Without a drop of vodka...

...Zaldostanov left the Kremlin

But he didn't know that after him...

...I was receiving the intriguing spokesperson

Then the leader of a group of young people

And the leader of the Spartak supporters.

I recruited them all:

...motorcyclists and hooligans...

...anarchists and skinheads,

...from the far right to the far left

After the events in Ukraine...

...we needed to contain

The monopoly of power

...we needed a monopoly

Who haven't I hired?

The technocrats in charge
disasters of the 90s...

...the remaining oligarchs...

...the flag bearers
political correctness...

...vegans...

...To tell the truth...

...I needed these characters
in the opposition.

They were my best actors.

Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Chase Putin away, chase Putin away!

Black cassock, gold epaulettes

All parishioners on their knees!

The ghost of liberty is in heaven

Gay Pride is being sent to Siberia

When Pussy Riot invested
the Cathedral of Christ the Savior...

...while shouting obscenities
against Putin and Patriarch Kirill...

...we won five points
in the polls.

I found them heroic.

They're going about it the wrong way.

They scored an own goal.
In politics, there is no room for error.

It's a double-edged sword.

That made them world-famous.

One second, I'll be right back.

Vadim!

Miss Chekhova.

I am very flattered that you honor me.
thank you for your presence.

Don't laugh.
You measure the influence of your living room.

Dear...

...worldly gossip
never influenced power.

Thanks to you,
I can be around my opponents.

Indeed.

Garry Kasparov is here.

Chess champions
They never go far in politics.

Vadim Baranov.

Smile at the Kremlin.
- In person.

You invented a name
for your doctrine.

Sovereign democracy.

Russia must be a democracy
to benefit from globalization.

I see no trace of democracy
in our society, but continue.

Sovereignty is political
synonymous with stability.

The more stable a regime is,
the more competitive it is.

You know what they say
of your "sovereign democracy"?

What a great deal to democracy...

...what the electric chair
is in the chair.

It's just a clever remark.
But he's funny.

You left the French Riviera.

I never stay in one place for long.

You know me.
That's not one of my qualities.

Do you live in Moscow?

When I am here,
I live at the Metropol Hotel.

I rent a suite on a yearly basis.

Is this an invitation?

Do you remember my friend?
The dog-man?

Of course. Arseni.

He is a renowned director.

He staged Monteverdi's L'Orfeo.

He transformed the theatre
in a pagan basilica.

He calls it a spatial liturgy.

I was her high priestess in Paris.

Do you want to come?

Unless this kind of provocation
It no longer interests you.

Not sure I remember who you are.

I get lost in your labyrinths.

It's a game.

Politics is the only game
worth playing.

You've become cynical.

You've reached the limit
of your intelligence.

Cynical.

It's possible.

But not only that.

I don't know.

I'll tell you.

Right now, I'm not sure.

Come with me to the opera.

We'll go to the Metropol for dinner.

I'm tired, Ksenia.

What?

To put your black magic
in the service of power?

The other day,
I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror...

...but it wasn't me...

...it was my father.

My father's face
printed on mine...

...despite all my efforts.

Let's go home.

I'm cold.

Last time,
You asked me a question.

Do you remember?

You said you needed time.

Now I can answer.

You're not just cynical.

You have chosen...

...to marry your time.

You could just as easily have run away from him.

Do you like this weather?
- It's ours.

We are neither better nor better
nor worse than him.

I am not blinding myself.
I embody the worst of it.

And you think you'll one day
to answer that?

Do you believe in the future?

Not me.

The future doesn't give a damn about us.

"Our wound is raw"
under the yoke of that time.

"See...

"... behind the forest where we are walking... "

"... trembling... "

"... like an illuminated castle... "

"... evening already awaits. "

Rilke.

I had forgotten.

I was never fascinated

It's a museum city,

The Tsar, on the other hand,

...with his true, lifelong friends...

...a mix of former FSB agents,

and genuine gangsters

Both

In just a few years,

...had accumulated wealth

Outstanding!

A delight.

That's good, guys.

Our new chef's specialty:

...truffle risotto.

You will tell me if I should keep it
or send it back to Italy.

Enjoy your food.

Genia, you disappoint us.

You're serving us a truffle risotto.
Where is the rocket?

Do I need to remind you...

...that our ice hockey team
finished sixth in the championship?

We moved up seven places
in the rankings...

...and surpassed Dynamo Moscow.

Wait until next year.

You'll see.

Well, you'll get your rocket
next year.

No decent rockets in Russia.

But I bought a domain
on the Black Sea to cultivate it.

She will be magnificent.
But we must be patient.

Keep the leader.

He knows his stuff.

His ticket to Pisa was already booked.

On Ryanair!

Evgueni is very demanding.

But his talents extend beyond cooking.
and touch on geopolitics.

Even to certain questions
which we are discussing.

It would be helpful if you talked to each other.

I didn't know Prigojine very well.

But Putin

...with unwavering kindness.

A 5-minute flight.

Shortly after taking off...

...we began the descent

...where the Tsar's relatives...

...lived in the most beautiful palaces

I am not an intellectual
like you...

...but I received
some life lessons.

And not just in prison.

I have no doubt about it.

Do you know how I started?

With my partners...

...we obtained the first license
of the Saint Petersburg casino.

Or rather, the Tsar gave it to you
when he was deputy mayor.

Do you know what a casino is?

A monument to human irrationality.

Why throw your money away...

...when all the probabilities
Are they against you?

By relying on irrationality,
We always win.

Exact.

Pick an average guy.

As long as he's comfortable...

...that he has a secure job,
a family holiday at the seaside...

...retirement on the horizon...

...he remains quiet.

But if things go wrong...

...If he loses his job, his home...

...if the future becomes uncertain...

...will he play it safe?

No way.

He will choose the risk
rather than a hopeless status quo.

Chaos is becoming
more appealing than order.

Westerners
see China, India and Russia...

...to make giant strides
while they stagnate.

They are ready to take the bets
the most unreasonable.

Our job is to encourage them.

On the Internet.

This is the battlefield
of modern warfare.

I built the tool.

The Tsar wants you to take over.

Internet Research Agency.

I found the name.
That sounds good, doesn't it? What do you think?

Anton!

Our editor-in-chief.

The has a Ph. D.
in international relations...

...and speaks all
all imaginable languages.

Pleased to meet you, Anton.

Explain what you are doing here.

Influence. Information.

The Russian perspective on the West.
For Westerners.

They think their media
and their elites lie about everything.

They are customers
alternative versions.

Our message:
We tell the truth.

Russia is telling the truth.

Like Russia Today.

We're on social media,
Not on TV.

A coffee?

We have a relaxation area
with sofas, green plants...

And ping-pong tables.

Go ahead, we'll join you.

Evgueni, you're going to have to explain this to me...

...because I'm having trouble understanding.

Is something wrong?

Can we talk?

Of course.

I thought we wanted to take action
on mentalities in Europe and the US...

...to infiltrate people's minds.

And you're bringing me Anton?

It's the best.
- That's precisely the problem.

Westerners
are no longer interested in politics.

To kiss them, we have to talk
Anything but politics.

We don't need Anton.

Whose, then?
- D'idiots.

Highly addictive.

Cyber-addicted otaku...

...beauty-advice-giving sluts,
Conspiracy theorist YouTubers...

...anything that generates clicks.

At some point,
We will need to get our message across.

Who do you think we are?

The Comintern?

I regret to inform you
that the USSR no longer exists.

There is no longer a Party line.
There's no longer a message to convey.

Just wire.

Come on, let's go.
We're wasting our time here.

What kind of wire are you talking about?

How do you break a piece of wire?

You twist it one way,
then in the other.

That's what we're going to do, Evgueni.

Explain to me how.

Build your network
and see who takes the bait.

They will all have an obsession.
The clicks will tell us which one.

One will be anti-vaxxer,
the other pro-life, or pro-choice.

Never mind.
We don't want to convert anyone.

It is enough that everyone has
something that drives him crazy.

And someone who makes him furious.

It's infallible.

No preference, no arguments.

The wire.

We twist it in one direction,
then in the other until it breaks.

I understand. The wire.

But everything is traceable on the Internet.

Sooner or later, we'll get caught.

Of course. And that's what we're looking for.

Supporting our allies is predictable.
But how will they react?

when they see
that we also support our opponents?

They'll think we're idiots.

They'll go crazy!
They will be lost.

They will know just
that we've gotten inside their heads

to tamper with their neural circuits.

The Americans created the algorithm.

We'll use it too.

And better than them.

Those who will accuse us of plotting
Those who oppose democracy will be our allies.

They will build the myth
of our omnipotence.

This will be the biggest secret.
because it is shared by all:

...the Russians control the modern world.

They are the masters of it.

You see, that's what's interesting.
in politics.

Anything that gives the illusion
of the force...

...truly increases this strength.

LONDON

Borya.
- Bitch.

Are you carrying a message?

Sorry, Borya, no message.

So, in what honor...

...For fun.

You come to meet
The British Olympic Association?

Always well-informed.

The Tsar is no longer interested
than at the Sochi Olympics.

The President has tasked me with overseeing
the opening ceremony.

You planned for the medal
The best political assassination?

I don't know, Boris.

The main point is that Russia
comes out on top.

I am not worried.

You will find...

...the worst solution.

As always.

You may not have
No message for me, but...

...I have one for him.

That's good, there's no polonium.

This is a letter for the Tsar.
It comes from the heart.

Read it if you want.

"I beg you to give me
your Christian forgiveness... "

Are you serious?

I appeal to his faith
and I offer him my services.

"Based on experience
that I have accumulated... "

Listen, frankly, no!

Times have changed.

You're no longer in the running.
Excuse me for being cruel.

I appeal to his humanity.

Who are you kidding?

"The harshness of exile... "

"Time passing... "

"Death is coming... "

I understand.

But that won't make him blink.

The comfort of ending my days
in our motherland.

He can't hear it?

I have to go.

Give him the letter anyway.

I think it can work.

Sincerely.

I would have liked to tell him

How moved the Tsar would be...

...that we would find ourselves side by side

I liked him.

Without being a saint,

The Tsar having banished his fellow men...

...only the men remained in Moscow

The worst part is that I had contributed to it.

SO?
Did it go well?

How could that have happened?

He helped you.
You could have reached out to him.

Boris sees approaching
the Sochi Olympic Games.

There's still money to be made...

...even if everyone
has already lined his pockets.

Including you.

Do you like it? The main costumes
of the opening ceremony.

Most importantly...

...did they like it?
to the British Olympic Association?

We're wrong.

They've already swallowed the Winter Olympics
in a seaside resort.

Lacking
of the smallest sports infrastructure.

Have you seen the others?

No. Not really.

Look. Each island represents
a period in our history.

They are in motion.
They float in the air.

Our entire literary history
will parade.

The domes of Saint Basil
will fly away.

And then
Swan Lake.

Do you like it?

Vadia, this Russia does not exist.

At least, not anymore.

But they are the ones who inspired us.
formerly.

It's too late.

You know that.

You will not save your soul.

This ceremony
is merely the mask of dictatorship.

The rest
These are empty pretexts.

I see right through you.

That doesn't mean
that I don't love you.

But I will not be your accomplice.

Can I get you something?
- Champagne.

Madame?
- The same.

And the Tsar...

...will free our friend Dmitry.

Are you sure?

You've told me that often.

He will do it
two weeks before the Games.

Western media
they will have a wonderful time.

That's the idea.

You don't ask me
What did I do with my day?

Not shopping.

That's not your style.

Something more specialized.

Forget the irony.

I was trying to guess.

I was at the gynecologist's office.

I am pregnant.

You look...
- I'm a little shocked, yes.

Actually, I'm devastated.

I have no words.

WAR IN CRIMEA

According to initial findings...

...hanging would be the cause

Berezovsky was found dead

The forensic pathologist found nothing

Access was prohibited

...the absence of chemical poison,

It was bound to end like this.

He suffered from exile.

I'm going to miss him.

He presented a detestable image
from the opposition.

It was precious to us.

Here is the program
of the opening ceremony.

Updated according to your instructions.

What is "Daft Punk"?

Electronic music.

Number one in the world.

Two Frenchmen who never take off
their robot helmets.

This painting was not
in the previous version.

They have won five Grammy Awards.
We need to get with the times.

The police choirs
will resume their hit song.

He turns the ceremony into a farce.

Explain your reasons to Igor.

That's what people
They want to dance. It's as simple as that.

That will be ridiculous.

It will be kitschy.

The whole world,
three billion viewers...

...await the greatest show
Never seen anything like it.

This cannot be
that the apotheosis of kitsch.

Kitsch is the only possible language

if we want to communicate
with the masses.

We want to show them our Russia.
- Nobody wants to see your Russia.

Besides, you have nothing to show.
and everything to hide.

We want to give the image
of an open Russia...

...confident in herself,
but also capable of smiling.

The world today
demands this self-deprecation...

...pas tes balalaïkas, Igor.

Do you understand what I'm saying?
Or is it just gibberish?

What do you want...

...Bitch...

...is an acrobat.

An artist for politicians,
policy for artists.

Be careful, Vadia.

Sooner or later,
You might miss the trapeze...

...and to crash you to the ground.

I declare...

...the 22nd Olympic Games
Sochi's winter...

...open.

I probably should have left

Close the book on this page.

Ukrainian separatists

...to occupy Maidan Square again.

Two days before the end of the Games...

...they overturned

...who fled that same day.

The resulting chaos

...a golden excuse

Russian snipers killed
more than one hundred protesters.

They say you are responsible for it.

Who says so?

The Ukrainians.

Based on your own emails.

You would have Ukrainian blood
on the hands.

The day before the closing ceremony...

...following his grand design...

...the Tsar decided to annex Crimea.

Crimea was part of Ukraine.

We weren't going to send troops
to invade a sovereign country.

You sent Russian soldiers
not wearing a national insignia.

"The Little Green Men"
said your fellow journalists.

When Zaldostanov
and his Night Wolves...

...landed in Crimea,
You were pulling the strings.

It's true.
I gave them a supporting role.

Supporting roles are important.

As long as they don't get carried away.

Have you seen our flags?

We no longer use
those of the Russian Federation.

We have something else in mind.

We are no longer a federation.
We are conquerors.

We have retaken Crimea
to the Ukrainians.

Soon the entire Donbas will be Russian.

It's time to take stock.

The point. Really.

I am a man of action.

We are here to support the Russian army.

We will bring you victory.

Who's talking about victory?

Our objective in Ukraine
is not conquest.

It's chaos.

The Ukrainians told their stories...

...that their orange revolution
would make them integrate into Europe.

She will take them back to the Middle Ages.

The promises of the Westerners,
It always ends the same way.

They abandon you at the first obstacle...

...and you remain alone
in your ruined country.

That's the moral of the story.

This war cannot be fought.
in reality...

...but in the minds of the spectators...

...on the television news.

In Moscow, in Kyiv, in Berlin.

You are the actors in a drama
which is beyond your comprehension...

...and which resonates
well beyond these borders.

Or you accept being a pawn
in my game, with all the advantages...

...or not. But know that I can
I can unplug you whenever I want.

And then things will become
more complicated for you...

...your Wolves and your little affairs.

Those who thrive...

...from what I hear.

May I bother you for a moment?
Vadim Alexeïevitch?

Please.

How did it happen?
How was your trip to Luhansk? Good?

You must have read
reports from your department.

We have news from the Americans.

What's the news?

They reportedly drew up a blacklist...

...of undesirable personalities.

Your name is on it.

You're going to have to forget about New York
for a while.

Sanctions for annexation
From Crimea. When do they start?

Monday.

That's perfect
that I no longer love New York.

I also heard something else.

Vas-y.

It will be official tomorrow.

Your name is also
on the list of Europeans.

Paris...

...London...

...ends.

I'm told you'll miss Naples.

I won't bother you any longer.
Vadim Alexeïevitch.

You have some steps to take.

And quickly.

Lionia, are you aware of this?

Yes, tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

No interview, just a press release.

Are you taking notes?

"I consider these sanctions
like an Oscar...

"... crowning the whole
of my political career.

"It means that I have served my country. "
Honorably. " Period.

No, that's all.

THANKS.

Ksenia?

Pack your bags.
I'll be there in fifteen minutes.

A few hours later,

...for our last European weekend.

I guess it was bound to happen.

It was entirely up to you to avoid it.

By resigning?

For example.

Power is an addiction.
It is difficult to wean oneself off it.

Before, when you used to say those platitudes...

...I could hear the irony.

Not this time.

There weren't any.

The war in Ukraine,
It's like everything else.

I didn't want it.
I even opposed it.

That's what you say.

Indeed.

I'm saying it.

And I also say
that once the Tsar had decided...

...I did my best
to see her succeed.

Out of habit.

Out of pride.

And because I could.

Without any scruples.

It's true.

It's been like this from the beginning.

With the bombs from Moscow
and the war in Chechnya.

With the arrest of Dmitry
and the fall of Berezovsky.

And now,
the Maidan murders.

I didn't want any of this...

...but each time,
I devoted my tireless labor to it.

And now you're tired.

Russia devoured my grandfather.

You knew my father,
She devoured it too.

I don't know if I will be saved.

Probably not.

In any case, it's too late.

But our child will be saved.

Ksenia?

Ksenia!

I have never been to Novo-Ogariovo

The austere and sporty atmosphere

Once back from Stockholm,

The trust of a prince

...but a conviction.

I had played my part,

At one point,

That's all.

He gets up early,

...from the farm of Patriarch Kirill.

That's it.

...and transmits its provisions.

Afterwards

His first visitors

Ministers, advisors,

The presidential motorcade does not set off

The streets were closed.

From Novo-Ogariovo to the Kremlin,

Then her real day begins.

Sometimes ending at dawn.

Only one man does not sleep...

...and all those who matter in Moscow
share his watch.

Like in Stalin's time.

Who's this?

Hello my dear.

Can I play with Matchka?

Of course. You're not bothering us.

Where is she?

Where has Matchka gone?

Under the table?
- Non.

Not under the table?
- Non.

Under the cushion?
- Non.

Are you sure?
- Non.

Is she under the piano?
- Non.

To be!
- There it is!

All the happiness I have known
is concentrated within her.

Papa...

...what would Matchka say
If she could speak?

I think she would say:

"I would have more fun
with a real rabbit. "

Dad!

She would say:

"I love you more than anything, Anja.

"I only want to play with you. "

Cats are not my passion.

But how long?
Will I be able to make her happy?

I had never known fear before Anja.

From the first time I saw her,
I live in terror.

My life is in his hands.
and not the other way around.

My daughter doesn't count
neither the hours nor the days.

I have always lived in the future.

She gave me this gift.

THE MAGE OF THE KREMLIN

Based on the novel by
GIULIANO FROM EMPOLI