Courtesy of The Guardian
By Isaac Siegmund-Broka
Staff Writer
It’s hard to turn on the TV nowadays without being hit by a campaign bus of political propaganda and exaggerated controversies. What one doesn’t see is the nauseating backside of politics, the corruption and grief that director George Clooney portrays so well in his new political thriller, “The Ides of March.”
Stephen Myer (Ryan Gosling) is the junior campaign manager for prospective democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney). Morris and Myer work in close quarters, along with the calculated and composed Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
As Myer becomes dangerously involved with the opposing candidate’s campaign manager, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), and romantically involved with intern Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), his life and Morris’ campaign begin to crumble.
In a conversation-oriented film, the style and substance of dialogue is key. Intelligent, finicky dialogue fills the skin of a tense, winding
plot that is as realistic as it is nerve-racking.
“The Ides of March” is an intimate film—the majority of the action is conversation between two, sometimes three individuals. Politics are often aggrandized by media, but Clooney displays them on a personal level with interpersonal relationships and their deterioration.
To imitate the current era of extreme political controversy, Clooney does a meticulously perfect job making “The Ides of March” seem frighteningly legitimate. The sharp political debate, astute and sweeping speeches and continuously pounding sense of tension all mimic that of a true presidential campaign.
Political thrillers usually deal with matters of corruption—right versus wrong in a political environment. While “The Ides of March” unquestionably does this well, it also considers the happy and sad aspects of politics. Because of the film’s personal nature, characters’ emotions are not discarded for universal themes of corruption and evil but rather are highlighted and broadened to heartrending proportions.
The heavily emotional side of “The Ides of March” allows its cast to exhibit seamless acting. Clooney’s artful control of facial expression reveals both genuine decency and a vulnerable morality. Wood captures Stearns’ broken mindset with convincing teary-eyed despair and a despondent tone of victimized helplessness.
In “The Ides of March,” pessimistic intelligence and dramatic tension are combined in a uniquely personal take on modern elections and carried out by an exceptional cast. “The Ides of March” is rated R and is playing in theatres nationwide.
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