British actor Jude Law said he became a "manic" observer of Vladimir Putin while preparing for his role as the Russian leader in his new film "The Wizard of the Kremlin," which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

The 52-year-old Law bears a striking resemblance to Putin, imitating his frown and characteristic gait in French director Olivier Assayas' film, which traces the rise of the former intelligence officer.

"There are many shots that one can watch, and for me personally, when I started to immerse myself in this topic, it became something of an obsession. You look for more and more, newer and newer material," he said at a press conference.

The actor shared that recreating Putin was a challenge because of his famously expressionless face, AFP reported.

"The difficult thing for me was that the public image we see (of Putin) is very, very limited. There is a mask," Lowe pointed out.

He attributed his resemblance to the real Putin to the "incredible makeup and hair team" and said he was not afraid of the consequences.

Assayas insisted that he wanted Lowe to "get into the role" and become "the bearer of what he represents."

The two-and-a-half-hour film is a comprehensive look at Putin's career, which has seen him silence his political opponents, intimidate oligarchs, and enrich his inner circle.

The story is told through the eyes of a fictional political advisor, Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano), and is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Italian author Giuliano da Empoli.

Assayas said that this is above all a story about authoritarianism, with Russia's transition from chaotic democracy in the late 1990s to Putin's contemporary autocracy serving as a warning to the West.

"We made a film about what politics has become and the very scary and dangerous situation we all feel," he explained. | BGNES