Film Review: The Ides Of March

The Ides Of March is one of those films where it's hard to level any real criticism at. But at the same time, it's annoying, because it's also one of those films where a huge amount is given away in the trailer. You know when you're watching something, and you know 'something' will happen because you saw it in the ad? That knowing blighted my viewing, but fortunately the road getting to what was spoiled was very unpredictable.

It's also the best film George Clooney has directed to date (including the fantastic Good Night, and Good Luck), and further eradicates his status as 'the handsome doctor in E.R.' (swooning women's words, not mine) or even worse, of course, 'the shit Batman'.

The fact The Ides Of March is about American politics also furthered my enjoyment. After repeated viewings of all seven seasons of The West Wing, I know more about the Government of the USA than I do my own country, so when the script threw all the political jargon out there I was well on board.

Clooney also co-stars in the film (and co-writes it for good measure) as Mike Morris, the Governor of Pennsylvania, and prospective Democratic candidate for the President Of The United States, along with man of the moment Ryan Gosling, who plays Morris' Junior campaign manager Stephen Meyers.

After Meyers takes a phone call from the Democratic oppositions campaign manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), things get serious, and nasty and sets in motion a turbulent chain of events involving Morris, Duffy, Meyers, his boss Paul Zara (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), an intern (Evan Rachel Wood), a newspaper writer (Marisa Tomei) and a Senator (Jeffrey Wright.)

It's all a story of how far one person is willing to go to win, essentially. And even with the spoiler-tastic trailer looming, it's a gripping one. Just one look at the talent involved indicates this was never going to be a bad film.

Indeed, it's hard to fault any of the performances, but as good as everyone is, there's never a standout. I can't see any acting nominations being dished out come Oscar season.

But that, and the aforementioned trailer, are the only bad things I can say about The Ides Of March. Great acting, a great story, great direction. And if you're into your American politics, you'll love it. If not, it's very accessible and just a real pleasure to watch.

****
A fantastic political thriller, with great (but not showstopping) performances all round. Notch up another great role for Ryan Gosling, and another great film directed by George Clooney. Just avoid the trailer if you can!