Jude Law transforms into Vladimir Putin for Olivier Assayas’ “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” which had its world premiere Sunday at the Venice Film Festival.

The film is an adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s bestselling book of the same name, an account of the Russian President's rise to power alongside a fictional adviser called Vadim Baranov, who is played by Paul Dano. It's partially set in the early 1990s amid post-Soviet chaos.

Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are WATCH HERE

Dano’s character was inspired by the real political strategist Vladislav Sourkov, who was considered the architect of the tightly controlled political system created under Putin. In 2013, he resigned his post of deputy prime minister.

“The Wizard of the Kremlin” is sure to provoke conversations as Russia’s th

See Full Page