THE IDES OF MARCH
/
2011
DIRECTOR: George Clooney
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Phedon Papamichael
WRITER: George Clooney/Grant Heslov/Beau Willimon(screenplay) Beau Willimon(play)
BUDGET: $12,000,000
GROSS: $76,338,111 (worldwide)
Back in the latter half of the aughts - following the box office failure of a few films - all the talk was about the death of smart, adult fare. How, no one was going to see these movies and studios were going to stop making them. well, I guess George Clooney didn't get the memo, because The Ides Of March is a smart, adult film - and a really good one at that!
While I wouldn't call myself a political junkie (what's one step below "junkie?"), I do enjoy politics. Actually, enjoy might not be the best word to use as I usually feel more frustrated and angered, then joyful. But all that to say a good political thriller is always something that will intrigue me. However, please notice the word "good" in that last sentence.
The problem with many political thrillers is that they feel the need to really push the "thrill" part and to do so they end up getting all convoluted and going to far: a murder and a cover-up and then a leak leads to another murder which brings in a secret uncovered from many years ago, etc... The Ides Of March doesn't fall into that trap.
The film takes us into the world of a political campaign and in there we understand how high the stakes are and how important everything is to those involved. And in that setting, even a small (and believable) transgression can take on large importance and thrills, causing characters to change their views and act in ways they might not have otherwise (we don't need two murders and a secret organization to keep us interested or believing).
It also helps that the film is populated by great performances from all involved (Clooney, Gosling, Giamatti, Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Marisa Tomei). The film is filled with about six or seven one-on-one scenes between these various actors that had me transfixed to the screen. The performances and the writing create a palpable tension whether it be flirty, suspenseful or confrontational.
And let us not forget the direction here. Clooney was quietly becoming one of the better directors out there. With this film, Good Night And Good Luck and Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (I still haven't seen Leatherheads) Clooney has shown a real vision specific to both the storytelling and the visual style. And with The Ides Of March he found in Phedon Papmichael a cinematographer to realize it beautifully.
I know the political thing will turn some people off. But, just to say... you don’t have to be a political junkie, or even a step below junkie, to understand or enjoy this movie. So, don't let that hold you back.