Patriots – One View of Putin’s Rise to Power or When Boris Met Vladimir

May 8, 2024 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susan Rosenbluth, Two Sues on the Aisle

Patriots presents Russian politics in a captivating historical drama that fuses fact and fiction, following the signature style of writer Peter Morgan, creator of the Netflix show The Crown. Patriots tracks the careers of Boris Berezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg), a billionaire businessman, and Vladimir Putin (Will Keen), two powerful men with decidedly different views about what is best for Russia. 

Moving fluidly across time, Patriots begins in 1955 when Boris, at age nine, is discovered to be a math prodigy. He goes on to complete a PhD studying how rational individuals behave under risk and uncertainty. We skip to forty years later, Boris has become a business mogul, buying low, and selling high, exploiting the collapse of the Russian economy. He borrows rubles to buy cars from the manufacturers, which he sells for three times the price, and then delays repayment while hyperinflation makes his loans almost worthless. Slowly Boris builds an empire, acquiring a news channel, building the world’s largest oil company, and using his power and influence to choose the politicians who will run Russia.

Overconfident in his ability to sway influence, Boris selects Putin, the former deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, and a mid-level bureaucrat in the intelligence service. He sees Putin as a puppet, an order-taker who will do his bidding as President of Russia. Putin sees it differently.

Differences in Perspective

Boris believes the business community and entrepreneurs will drive Russia’s prosperity. He offers bribes, cars, and money, to get his way, ultimately growing his wealth. But not everyone was tempted by Boris’ offers. Putin rejected Boris’ bribes, seeing himself as a principled loyal Russian who sought prosperity for his country, rather than for himself. 

Putin appears genuinely surprised when Yeltsin selects him to be the next President. ‘He summoned me to his dacha and there, in a room just the two of us… He asked me…begged me…to be his successor.’

Although Boris’ political machine, influence, and finances advanced Putin’s career, Putin treated Boris the same as any other businessman demanding obedience.

• PUTIN – The fact is I am President. 
• BORIS – And I put you there!!!!! 
• PUTIN – That’s opinion. Not fact. 

Putin wants to reinstate government control and take Russia back from the gangster capitalists. He demands the separation of business and politics, ‘The State needs to reclaim its assets and its authority. A country cannot be run by businessmen. Social policy cannot be determined by businessmen! Foreign policy cannot be determined by businessmen!’ 

Boris answers ‘When was the last time you saw a politician you truly respect? Anywhere?!’

Boris let power cloud his judgment and underestimated Putin. He saw Putin as a ‘nobody’ who would remain subservient and refused to give him the respect that the President demanded.

A Shared Love for Russia

Both men operate out of patriotism, a love of Russia, and the desire to save her. They could not set aside their pride and waged war, intending to destroy each other. Boris attacked Putin publicly on TV for mishandling the sinking of the Kursk submarine, blaming the death of the 118 sailors on the Kremlin’s reluctance to accept foreign help. In response, Putin took control of Boris’ TV network. 

Their fight ends with Boris’s banishment from Russia, ultimately losing everything. Boris was found dead in his home, on March 23, 2013. While his death was attributed to hanging, the coroner recorded an open verdict. We are left wondering why.

Does Power Corrupt?

Boris’ early ambition was to win the Nobel Prize in mathematics., but this distinction went to two American scientists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky who studied decision-making theory. Professor (Ronald Guttman) adds ‘It should have been a Russian. It should have been YOU. If you hadn’t been. . . Boris interrupts ‘Too busy trying to save our country?’ Professor corrects him saying ‘Too busy making bad decisions.’ 

The Professor tries in vain to convince Boris to return to mathematics, where there is still much to be proven, like the limit of infinity.  Here again, two great minds see life differently. For Boris, infinity is freedom, it is limitless, but for the Professor it has an end because, without an end, it has no definition. The Professor predicted Boris will have difficulty outside academia because he needs limits. Maybe he was correct.

Patriots contrasts two leadership approaches; the need to control as opposed to giving people the freedom to decide. It shows how quickly good intentions can lead to disastrous results.  Patriots always see their actions as principled and justified.

A Distinct Jewish Angle

Many of the successful Russian business owners, including Boris as well as Professor are proud Russian Jewish. In describing his father, Boris sees him as a committed Party member, a patriot who saw being born a Russian as winning second prize in the lottery of life. The first prize was to have been born a Russian Jew. 

Yet Russian politicians see them as a ‘swarm of Israelite bees around our President with slippery ideas for banks, shares, dividends, and other capitalist mirages’ referring to them as “Robber Jews” rather than businessmen who want to save Russia. This same trope is heard even today. 

Flawless Performances

Patriots is packed with amazing acting, spectacular staging, and energy that kept us on the edge of our seats. It was based on a real story, yet, full of surprises, and unexpected twists as the relationship between Boris and Putin develops. Two men vying for greatness – personally, and for their country. The audience watches as the balance of power shifts between logic and luck, brains and brawn, as Putin grows into the Presidency.

Patriots is a must-see Broadway-soon-to-be classic. 

******

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed. 

Patriots earned five Challahs

Runtime – 2 hours and 50 minutes, including one intermission.