The Ides of March Review

George Clooney delivers a speech to the American Public in The Ides of March 

The Ides of March

A-

A review by Frederick Cholowski

Politics, one of the most convoluted and corrupted functions in all of modern society. Lying, cheating, and corrupting are all involved in the potentially nasty business. George Clooney’s 4th directorial effort The Ides of March examines, with great cynicism, the behind the scenes life of campaign managers. For the most part The Ides of March is a successful effort plagued by a flaw that prevents it from reaching greatness.

The Ides of March follows a young campaign manager Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) who is trying to make Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) the next president of the United States. Surrounding Meyers is a colorful group of people such as his senior campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the opposing campaign manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). Meyers believes in Morris’s cause but his campaign soon starts to crumble after he meets briefly with Paul Zara and starts sleeping with an intern Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood).

The Ides of March is a great film for the first hour and ten minutes. It’s an interesting and cynical case study about the inside of American politics. After that the film runs into some problems. It all of a sudden follows a weird subplot that involves Evan Rachel Wood’s character. A subplot which all of a sudden transforms the film into a B grade thriller. The whole subplot feels forced, rushed, and unnecessary and it keeps the film from reaching its full potential.

Acting wise this film has a ton of A-list talent. Gosling, Clooney, Hoffman, and Giamatti are all fantastic. Gosling gets the most time. Getting to watch his character go down to the jaded, cynical dark side is engaging. Gosling dose a great job at making the character arc believable. Clooney dose a very Clooney style role here. He’s calm and suave and has just as many flaws to him as he has likable qualities. Hoffman and Giamatti play rivals who are already jaded and cynical. They do a fine job as well and each help carry the film forward.

Technically The Ides of March oozes atmosphere. The tone is very dark and the shots are close and cramped. This gives the film a dynamic and stressful feel. One that tries to grip you at every one of its twists and turns. The score seems to try and emulate Trent Reznor’s score in last year’s The Social Network. For the most part it does a good job to keep the movie going.

The Ides of March is a really good political film that could have been great. The frustrating twist at the end somewhat spoils an overall dark and thrilling experience. This is a little sad because had it not been for that this film would have been a serious contender for film of the year. That being said The Ides of March is still a solid film that should definitely not be missed.