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Last year, actor Jude Law remarked he had no concerns about backlash for portraying the Russian leader in a new film. The movie, though, could coincide too neatly with the mythologized version promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a compliment instead of a critique.

The Crafted Strongman

For years, the Russian political apparatus and the country's pop-culture machine have worked together to forge a tailor-made version of Putin. This figure is a political superhero devoid of flaws, a former spy reimagined as a Russian James Bond who consistently understands beyond what he shows.

“In Russia, the manufactured Putin has long overshadowed the real one.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

One recent example is a television show released last fall, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a invented blue-eyed lieutenant colonel inexplicably chosen to “rescue” Russia from chaos. Although the character's name a different name, the message is clear: the hero must be a familiar security officer.

Western portrayals frequently result in reinforcing this identical story instead of undercutting it. A new film inspired by a popular book aims to undermine the leader's mythology by presenting 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

In the film, the president is presented as having been chosen by influential figures to steady the nation because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. 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 permanent power.

This tale is the Kremlin’s export myth: the detached, unwilling mastermind guided by fate. In reality, these events ever happened.

The Reality of the Casting Call

Nobody ever begged him to take the job. The presidency was in essence a selection process with many contenders. Central to this process stood an influential oligarch from the Yeltsin era who expected to run the country in practice.

• The shortlist featured several politicians, among them an opposition leader later murdered and a security service director.
• According to a journalist who researched his rise, the future president merely met the necessary criteria: obedient, from the security services, and politically neutral.
• A businessman close to the process stated the key criterion was controllability and loyalty, not leadership.

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

Constructing the Spy Legend

Experts agree that the notion of him as a master operative was built after the fact. Claims about his clandestine activities in Dresden do not stand up to scrutiny. Fundamentally, he handled paperwork and technical tasks, a low-level clerk not involved with actual agent work.

Curiously, the move to framing him as a “007” could partly have been triggered by the actor's debut as 007. His harder version prompted local outlets and online audiences to draw visual parallels with Putin. Edited images replacing the actor's likeness with Putin’s appeared on Moscow streets, fueling the increasing trend to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Diplomatic Opportunity?

With Jude Law, an star well-liked by viewers there, the Kremlin are likely to seize the opportunity to portray this choice as a minor diplomatic triumph. Its omission of public dissent, the opposition, or prominent activists in the story, even though it includes recent years, is a welcome aspect for official messaging.

Domestically, Putin is frequently an omnipotent figure who never appears directly. His influence is hinted at through portraits or orders from on high. Now, he at last gets a famous actor's visage—one that could unintentionally echo the exact legends it perhaps aims to examine.