🔗 Share this article

Last year, star Jude Law stated he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for playing Vladimir Putin in a new film. The movie, however, may align too neatly with the mythologized image promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a compliment rather than a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

For years, the Russian political apparatus and the country's pop-culture machine have worked together to craft a tailor-made persona of Putin. This character is an infallible strategist without age or mistakes, a former spy reimagined as a local 007 who always knows beyond what he shows.

“Domestically, the constructed Putin has long overshadowed the real one.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

A notable instance is a television show launched last fall, directed by a pro-government filmmaker. The protagonist is a invented security officer selected by fate to “save” the nation from disorder. Although the character's name Mikhail, the message is unmistakable: the hero must be a known figure from the secret services.

Western portrayals frequently result in reinforcing this same narrative instead of debunking it. A new film inspired by a popular book sets out to undermine the leader's mythology by presenting him not as a cause but as a symptom, shifting the focus to the spin doctors around him.

The Fable of the Hesitant President

On screen, Putin is presented as having been chosen by influential figures to steady the nation because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. They visit him and all but beg him to take the top job. His response is that he would rather govern from the shadows, desiring enduring influence.

This tale is the Kremlin’s export myth: the detached, unwilling mastermind shaped by destiny. Historically, these events ever happened.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one actually pleaded with Putin to take the job. The presidency was in essence a casting call with no shortage of candidates. Central to the selection stood a powerful businessman from the Yeltsin era who planned to control the state de facto.

• His list included various figures, including a reformer subsequently assassinated and a security service director.
• According to a journalist who researched his rise, the future president simply fitted the necessary criteria: obedient, from the intelligence world, and not a communist or a liberal.
• A businessman familiar with the events said the key criterion was manageability and loyalty, not strength.

“They didn’t need a powerful leader, they needed someone malleable, someone who would obey orders.”

Building the 007 Persona

Experts agree that the image of Putin as a master operative was constructed retrospectively. Claims about his “recruitment work” in East Germany fall apart under examination. Fundamentally, he handled paperwork and routine duties, a mid-level functionary not involved with field operations.

Interestingly, the move to depicting him as a “007” may in part have been triggered by the actor's arrival as James Bond. The grittier version led local outlets and social media to draw visual parallels with Putin. Edited images replacing Craig’s face with Putin’s surfaced on Moscow streets, feeding the increasing trend to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Diplomatic Opportunity?

Given the casting, an actor popular with Russian audiences, the Kremlin are likely to seize the chance to frame his casting as a minor diplomatic triumph. The film's exclusion of public dissent, the political rivals, or key figures from its narrative, despite covering recent years, is a welcome aspect for official messaging.

In Russian cinema, the president is often an omnipotent figure who never appears directly. He is signaled through photographs or orders from on high. In this new film, he finally acquires a famous actor's visage—one that may inadvertently echo the exact legends it perhaps aims to question.