At this point you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. But how many people have heard of Vadim Baranov? That’s the question behind The Wizard of the Kremlin, a new drama from Olivier Assayas.

The film tells the story of Baranov, who worked his way to the highest levels of power. And after establishing himself there, he quickly disappeared. This film seeks to highlight his story and explain where it all went wrong.

The film follows reporter and author Rowland (Jeffrey Wright), who is granted an audience with Baranov (Paul Dano) at his country home after he’s retired from public life. There, bonded by a shared love of old books, he begins to spin his tale. He goes on to start with his younger life, and how he first found himself in media.

Through a connection with Boris Berezovsky (Will Keen), at the time the power behind President Boris Yeltsin, he is introduced to Putin (Jude Law). Putin is tapped to be the next in line, and viewed by Berezovsky as someone he can control in the same way. But Putin has ideas of his own, and soon recruits Baranov to help craft the message.

As Putin takes power, and takes the country in a new direction, Baranov is charged with crafting the message. He also comes up with some of the counter-intelligence techniques that sew massive distrust and discord in the world. But as he grows closer to Ksenia (Alicia Vikander), and starts a family of his own, Baranov begins to pull away, putting everyone in jeopardy.

This is an interesting idea for those who want to learn more about Russia, Putin, and the power behind his office and his meteoric rise. That gives some potential here. But the set up for the storytelling feels stiff. In addition, the run time of more than two hours makes it feel a bit drawn out at times.

The film is based on the novel from Giuliano Da Empoli, which gives it plenty of biographical details. And Dano does a fine enough job in the lead role. Law is a gifted performer, but it was hard to get a feel for how he wanted to play Putin. That’s a struggle. In addition, Baranov isn’t that complex or interesting a character—either in his professional or personal life. So, that can leave you questioning why the investment in this story by the end.

Assayas does a fine enough job of crafting the scenes. But there is a lack of tension and pop here. And the meeting between Baranov and Rowland that serves as a framing device never feels like it has the requisite payoff. The film isn’t bad, but it isn’t dynamic or memorable, either.

Despite the talented cast and the interesting premise, this film feels somewhat underwhelming. Fans of a good biopic will appreciate learning more about Baranov, a figure I knew little about prior to the film. But aside from filling in some historical blanks, this likely won’t offer much memorable or compelling.

The Wizard of the Kremlin opens in limited release on Friday, May 15.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.