The Ides of March

My personal record with political thrillers has been very lukewarm. I've watched plenty of them over the years, but they're so forgettable that hardly any ever stick out. The Ides of March is an entirely different experience. An adaptation of the play Farragut North, The Ides of March is the third film directed by George Clooney and stars himself, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Gosling plays Steven Meyers, a young, idealistic deputy campaign manager who, while campaigning for presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney), uncovers a potential career-ending scandal and learns the ugly truth about the dirty underbelly of political campaigning. Gosling is absolutely amazing, portraying the shift between starry-eyed naivety and cold political shark with fantastic skill. And with Clooney's smooth-talking politician, Hoffman's gruff campaign manager, and Wood's overwhelmed intern, the supporting cast is an actor's dream come true.

The story is a pretty standard-fare political drama affair. The concept of a hotshot newcomer being disillusioned by the gritty behind-the-scenes work of politics is something that's been done again and again. What makes this story stand out though is the impeccable sense of pacing. The movie goes by quickly, but they pace it enough to make sure it doesn't leave the audience feeling like they've missed something.

At the end of the movie, I was angry that it didn't get as much critical commendation as it should have. It's nominated for only one Academy Award (Adapted Screenplay) and was nominated for four Golden Globes, where it went home empty-handed. I think it's one of the best movies of 2011. I give it 9 shady political meetings out of 10.