The Ides of March

Director: George Clooney
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Releasing in cinemas: 24  November 2011
Rated: M

Who would have thought back in the mid-1990s that then-superhunk and ‘sexiest man alive’, George Clooney, would turn out to be one of the more erudite and interesting filmmakers in the 2010s? It’s been a remarkable transformation when you think about, even if the actor-turned-director has had plenty of time to mature into his new role.

Clooney, art house cinema fans will recall, made quite a splash with his directorial debut, 2002’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He’s followed that up with the enthusiastically praised Good Night, and Good Luck; and the warmly received Leatherheads. Now he’s back in the world of politics with The Ides of March.

The film has one of the most intelligent scripts of the year; penned by Clooney, his Good Night… collaborator Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon from Willimon’s play, Farragut North. After all, when you include a reference to Neville Chamberlain in your film without any background information, you’re plainly not catering to the lowest common denominator.

Willimon’s play was apparently based in real life; namely, the unsuccessful 2004 campaign by Howard Dean for the Democratic nomination. The film which (given Willimon’s presence as a screenwriter) you’d expect was pretty close to the play, certainly picks up on aspects of Dean’s campaign, particularly the back-office systems and tactics he employed. The critical twists in the film however owe more to other Democrats who achieved rather higher office.

The plot essentially follows the campaign of Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) during a Democratic Party primary in Ohio. His fortunes in the vote are essentially in the hands of two men – his campaign director Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and press secretary Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). The world-weary Zara is struggling to maintain his relevance as Morris sees the potential in the idealistic and driven Meyers. However, with youth comes inexperience, and Meyers makes two fateful decisions – he meets privately with Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), campaign director for Morris's opponent; and he romances intern Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood). While Molly is a political neophyte, she is connected; with her father being the head of a powerful party committee. As election day approaches, the manoeuvring both in the campaign and behind the scenes escalates dramatically.

The astute will note the implications of the title. While the actual ides of March (i.e. March 15th) is the date for the primary, it's also the fateful day made famous in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. So it doesn't take much to work out that someone is going to be stabbed in the back. The question is who.

The screenplay will keep you guessing, as it weaves its way through the shifting sands of political allegiance. While the film is set in the Democratic Party – the party that Clooney famously supports – and doesn't exactly cast any of the main characters in a particularly flattering light, it's actually more a commentary on the American political system as a whole than a direct shot at the Democrats.

There's a very interesting image in the publicity material for the film that has Ryan Gosling holding up a folded-over image of George Clooney over half his face. You have to look hard to see where one stops and the other starts. That's quite apposite, because Gosling appears to be taking on Clooney's mantle. Like Clooney, Gosling started out in television before getting a big break in the movies – in Gosling's case, in the 2004 weepie, The Notebook. Since then, he's steered his career towards edgier, more personal projects, including Half Nelson, Blue Valentine and Drive.

Here, Gosling gives the kind of intense performance we've come to expect from him. Apart from having much more to say and a better dress sense, there actually isn't all that much difference between his character in Drive and Stephen Meyers. The type of steely-eyed determination Gosling displayed in Drive translates equally well here. George Clooney (Up in the Air) is, as usual, excellent as the dapper governor; and Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) dazzles as the self-confident Molly. The film however is made by two veterans in Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) and Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version) as the opposing campaign directors. While neither is going to win a ‘sexiest man alive’ award, both deliver in spades in the acting stakes.

The Ides of March is a smart political thriller that should appeal to broad adult audience. You don't need to follow American politics, or even be a George Clooney fan, to appreciate this film. It's a well-made, engrossing piece of cinema.

David Edwards