The Ides of March (2011)

The Ides of March is a political drama that sees up and coming junior campaign manager Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) battling tirelessly to help Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) to win the Presidential Primaries. However, after losing his job, Stephen discovers that Morris is not the saint that he portrays himself to be and must decide whether to use the information to enact revenge or use it to his own political advantage.

Overall Review Score

8 out of 10

Review

Based on the 2008 play Farragut North, by Beau Willimon, the Ides of March drops the audience into the middle of a hotly contested Democratic Presidential Primary race between Mike Morris (George Clooney) and Ted Pullman. While the film starts of in a cynical manner with Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) practising a speech later reproduced by Mike Morris, the Ides of March takes the audience through an 101 minute long political binge fuelled by dirty tricks, non-spontaneous media messages and policies / deals that are decided in darkened rooms. The Ides of March brings politics alive and delivers a fast-paced, thrilling script that showcases the acting credentials of both the main cast (Ryan Gosling, George Clooney and Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the supporting cast (Evan Rachel Wood and Max Minghella among others). Overall, the film feels organic, realistic and delivers some hard-hitting lines that resonate with the audience. Overall, Ides of March is a powerful film worthy of its tagline: Ambition Seduces. Power Corrupts.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 7 out of 10

Comments:

Reminiscent of the Monica Lewinsky scandal faced by President Clinton, The Ides Of March is an electrifying tale of ambition, betrayal and revenge, which keeps the audience guessing what will happen next. Some great acting shown by Ryan Gosling and George Clooney makes this a film worth watching and goes to show “you can start a war, you can bankrupt the nation, but you can’t f**k the interns."

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

The Ides of March is a refreshing, realistic, gritty and engaging political drama that effortlessly portrays the real-life backroom deals, media manipulation and ambition of a political campaign without missing a beat. While the film was made on a shoestring budget, the actors feed off each other and deliver hard hitting, and sometimes-comedic lines, in a comfortable and believable manner that leaves the audience guessing how it is all going to end. Overall, while the ending lacked the uniqueness and refreshing nature of the rest of the film, the Ides of March will offer something for everyone and easily entertain both hardcore political fans and the average audience alike.

#ryangosling #philipseymourhoffman #georgeclooney #drama