Movie Review: 'The Ides of March'

There’s a reason politics is such a common subject in film: everybody loves a good, juicy scandal. 'The Ides of March' is the George Clooney-directed, star-driven tale of backstabbing, the loss of innocence, and of course, the dirty world of politics. Ryan Gosling follows his much-praised performances in this years 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and 'Drive' with the role of Stephen Myers, the optimistic campaign press secretary for the charismatic Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), who is running for the the Democratic presidential nomination.

Once again, Gosling proves that he’s one of the best, most versatile young actors working today. You can constantly see the wheels turning in Stephen’s mind thanks to Gosling's surprising ability to communicate so much with just one, intense look. While Clooney is great as always as the too-good-to-be-true presidential hopeful, it's his direction that most stands out; as a director, Clooney is well paced and controlled. He knows that there’s no reason to rush things and lets the tension slowly sizzle before turning up the heat. There were moments where I feared he would overstep and slip into melodrama (there are more intense face close-ups than a Spanish soap opera), but he manages to pull through.


There’s something very rousing about this film; it doesn’t shed any new light on the subject and stays in pretty familiar territory as far as the “twists” and story progression goes. Even so, each frame is stamped with a dim, sharp look, along with a strong sense of foreboding, making it impossible for you to tear your eyes away. And it’s because of that that 'The Ides of March' gains my vote.

Rating: B