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Last year, star Jude Law stated he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for portraying the Russian leader in a cinematic adaptation. This production, however, may align so closely with the mythologized image circulated by official channels that, domestically, it functions as a compliment rather than a critique.

The Manufactured Strongman

For years, the Russian political apparatus and its entertainment industry have worked together to craft a tailor-made persona of the president. This figure is a political superhero without age or mistakes, an ex-intelligence officer reimagined as a local 007 who consistently understands more than he reveals.

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

Cinematic Reinforcement

One recent example is a television show released last October, helmed by a pro-government filmmaker. The protagonist is a invented blue-eyed lieutenant colonel selected by fate to “rescue” the nation from disorder. While the character's name Mikhail, the implication is clear: the savior must be a familiar security officer.

Western portrayals often end up buttressing this identical story instead of debunking it. An adaptation based on a popular book sets out to undermine the leader's mythology by framing him not as a cause but as a symptom, moving the narrative weight to the spin doctors around him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

On screen, Putin is shown as having been chosen by influential figures to steady the nation because he is “young, athletic and a spy”. The oligarchs approach him and all but beg him to take the top job. His response is that he would prefer to rule from the background, desiring enduring influence.

This tale is a key piece of state propaganda: the detached, unwilling mastermind guided by fate. Historically, these events ever happened.

The Truth Behind the Selection

No one ever begged him to accept the role. The presidency was in essence a selection process with many contenders. At the centre to the selection stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who expected to run the country in practice.

• His list featured several politicians, among them a reformer later murdered and a security service director.
• According to an expert who studied his rise, the chosen candidate simply fitted the required parameters: loyal, from the intelligence world, and politically neutral.
• A businessman familiar with the process said the key criterion was controllability and loyalty, not leadership.

“They didn’t need a powerful leader, they needed someone controllable, someone who would follow instructions.”

Building the 007 Persona

Analysts concur that the notion of Putin as a powerful KGB spy was constructed retrospectively. Stories about his “recruitment work” in Dresden do not stand up to scrutiny. In essence, he handled paperwork and routine duties, a mid-level functionary not engaged in field operations.

Interestingly, the shift to depicting him as a “007” may in part have been triggered by Daniel Craig’s arrival as 007. His harder version led local outlets and social media to make comparisons with Putin. Edited images swapping Craig’s face with Putin’s surfaced on city centers, feeding the increasing trend to see him as a local secret agent.

A Propaganda Win?

With Jude Law, an actor well-liked by viewers there, the Kremlin will not miss the chance to portray this choice as a small victory. Its exclusion of mass protests, the opposition, or key figures in the story, even though it includes the past decade, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

In Russian cinema, Putin is often an all-powerful presence who never appears directly. He is signaled through portraits or calls “from above”. In this new film, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that may inadvertently echo the very myths it might seek to question.