Movies The new film, starring Jude Law, shows Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. But did the Russian oligarchs who initially recruited him really think he would be easy to control? Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images and Carole Bethuel/Vertical. The Wizard of the Kremlin is the story of Vladimir Putin’s rise to and consolidation of power as seen through the eyes of his chief special adviser, a character based on Vladislav Surkov, who was a key architect of Putin’s “managed democracy.” He was also once known as the Russian leader’s “gray cardinal,” thanks to his ability to orchestrate events from behind the scenes. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli, a book described as “factional”—a fictional work heavily inspired by real people and events. Given that the film is based on a novel, not a biography, it would be unrealistic to expect it to be entirely faithful to the facts.…