An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.
Surprisingly effective for such a by-the-numbers political drama, it may see Clooney on the campaign trail himself, for votes from Academy Award members.
A cynical, truthful film about politics.
Entertaining while you’re watching it but, as deceptive as a party’s election promises, there’s less to it than meets the eye.
If this is a potboiler rather than a penetrating Sorkin-smart drama, at least Clooney manages to work up a head of steam and a sense of propulsion.
Clooney and Gosling will poll well in this sleek peek at how politicians really get elected, staged with a smart nod to the classic conspiracy yarns of yesteryear.
Like a candidate running for office, George Clooney’s political drama looks great, sounds the part, but on closer examination is not quite up to the mark.
The layering of the tricks, the blackmail, the secrets and the deceit is when it truly grips in a phenomenal final third, as the full Shakespearean heft of the title becomes apparent, as does the price of a man’s soul.
A marvellously stable thriller that squeezes you so expertly you react in all the ways it wants.
Intelligent script, fantastic performances, unsettling moral accuracy.
As it is, the film’s stuck with a protagonist who seems to be kidding himself, and whose ideological gelding feels over before it’s even begun.
The Ides of March is a brutal demonstration of the action of the strong upon the weak. A high-IQ film, with a really good lead performance from Gosling.
The Ides of March self-consciously evokes the great political thrillers of the 1970s. The disappointment is that it isn't really very political.
A meaty, enjoyable adult movie especially if you still miss a regular visit to The West Wing.
It leads to a great final shot, but it still can’t elevate this into the realm of great cinema.
Whatever its faults, this is one supremely well acted film with predictably great turns from a cast that also includes Marisa Tomei as a scoop-hungry reporter.
Beware missing it.
The Ides of March isn't a mature masterpiece, then, but a flawed little thriller about a man with a dilemma. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Ides of March is a serious film that reveals Clooney as a director capable of welding his fellow performers into a superb ensemble while sustaining both dramatic tension and moral focus.
Clooney has managed to create a fairly well informed film that touches on our current economic climate and dishonest political figures, but it won’t stand the test of time.
Unfortunately, the promise fails to materialise and the film never goes beyond a superficial critique of politicians’ practices.
George Clooney: a Julius Caesar for our times
Economies of style in The Ides of March
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday October 28, 2011, until Thursday November 17, 2011. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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