Among many film interests that I have, I would count political thrillers as the least interesting. I was never that impressed with the '72 blockbuster Watergate. Nor was I really intrigued by Charlie Wilson's War. The genre just does not do much for me...which is all the more reason that my endorsement of The Ides of March should bear a little extra weight.No spoiler from this reviewer. The basic plot? All I will say is that the story centers around the concept of leverage: Journalists and worker bees in the political campaigns somehow get dirt on other candidates and use this dirt to their advantage. Or more simply put: Politicians do something ethically wrong (as they ALWAYS do!), someone blackmails them, and then all kinds of unexpected things happen!
The acting? Marvelous. Ryan Gosling, known mostly for his maudlin, soapy roles as loverboy in any number of tearjerkers, really delivers a special performance, proving he's not just another Hollywood hunk. George Clooney is always great...and with so many strong roles to his credit, he is emerging as a Meryl Streep among male performers. Evan Rachel Wood, with a long history of film credits, comes of age as the young female intern who sets the calm political world on fire!
One caution: The film really drags at first. I was wondering if I could stay awake. Then, about a third of the way through, it turns into a political/action story. At that point, I was hooked!
Grade: A-
I add the minus only for pacing issues. Otherwise, it's a must-see, even for folks like me who don't really dig political films.
Finally caught up to this film. I enjoyed it, but I do agree with you about the pacing. It's evenly paced, but not fast-paced. I'm a big Gosling fan and Clooney continues to impress me with his up-close tight acting - his facial expressions are subtle but enough for the camera to convey, if one is paying close attention. He's really quite good.
ReplyDeleteHubby and I both felt the plot developments were a bit flat in parts, but I kinda liked that it wasn't an over-the-top Grisham line. It was a realistic "unshaven" look at the dirty world of politics, and a sad one, as we watch Ryan's character lose his idealistic virginity, if you will.
I have to give a nod to the wonderful supporting roles, because I thought they made the movie (there was comparatively little of Clooney in this): Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and the fab Marissa Tomei.
When you say you're not a fan of political thrillers, just wondering - what about All the President's Men? Three Days of the Condor? (Ironically, both Redford films)
ReplyDelete