The Ides Of March

Year: 2011
Genre: Drama
Director: George Clooney

Plot: A young assistant campaign manager for a potentially promising presidential candidate gets into serious trouble after one mistake sinks him deep into the world of dirty politics.


The gist: In general I hate politics because of what it represents and how it is run. But even so, I found The Ides Of March a brilliant film that focuses on how low political backstabbing can get, and how some people would do anything to nail a victory in an election.

George Clooney stars and directs this film, which sees him in a supporting role to Ryan Gosling's character. Gosling plays an ambitious assistant to Clooney's campaign manager, who finds his world turned upside down when he makes an error that questions his loyalty to his bosses. It then follows how he has to go as low as his opponents to regain his position. 

Clooney does a great job keeping the pace tight and making sure everything flows smoothly. It may be a drama but there is nary a dull moment here.


The good: The cast is awesome. Gosling and Clooney are great, so are Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti in their roles as opposing campaign managers. Evan Rachel Wood has great chemistry with Gosling as a junior staffer who gets involved with him, which plays into the center plot. Clooney also deserves credit for his firm direction and making the film seem authentic, like it really is election season.

The bad: Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright are underused, but they play their parts well enough. Other than that, I can't think of anything else.


Verdict: It's a solid film about politics and it is entertaining enough even for those who don't like politics or elections. (4/5)