This depiction of Rasputin and his effect on the Russian ruling class doesn't skimp on decadence, violence and depravity. Aleksei Petrenko stars as the mad monk who became a confidant to Czar Nicholas II and helped push Russia into World War I. Banned in Russia for a decade for painting an unflattering portrait of the royal family, Agony has since been recognized as a powerful political drama. Elem Klimov directs.