There is little room for error in George Clooney’s The Ides of March, a political thriller that moves at a brisk pace and seemingly ends just when it could be beginning. The interesting thing about it is the ultimate takeaway considering none of the story’s twists and turns are at all surprising. However, while you may be one step ahead of the narrative there is more to this film than just another realization that politics are dirty. When you first lay eyes on the starry-eyed face of Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), a young but veteran press secretary who finally believes in the man he’s working for, you probably won’t be ready for his character’s shift in personality.
The Ides of March is definitely about politics, but more specifically it’s about ideals. It’s about what we believe in, or even better, whom we choose to put our belief in. When it comes to voting for President some people choose not to vote at all. “It doesn’t matter who I vote for,” is a common argument. The response is to say, “Well then you can’t complain.” Then it’s “I’m rubber, you’re glue, etc. etc. etc.” Well, after watching The Ides of March, the person who says “it doesn’t matter” is going to have a whole new slew of ammunition for their argument.
When the film began I was primarily concerned this was just going to be another pro Democrat feature, bashing the Republicans and selling the same old story. Instead, it shows no favoritism, though it does center on a Democratic presidential primary so the Democratic agenda does play a role, as does a whole lot of hypocrisy.
George Clooney plays presidential candidate Governor Mike Morris and we’re first introduced to him during the Ohio primary. He has started pulling ahead of his competitor, and as the saying goes, “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation,” and the gloves are coming off. Armed with a rock solid campaign manager in Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Gosling as the media savvy Stephen Myers, Morris is the perfect candidate. He says the right things and better yet, people are believing in him. More important to this story, Stephen is believing in him.
Though told he’s no different than the rest, Stephen sees Morris as the one to make a change in the White House. To go by Stephen’s opinion, Morris is “the only one that’s actually going to make a difference in people’s lives.” This is the story of what happens when you put trust and faith in someone and it is all thrown back at you.
Based on Beau Willimon’s play “Farragut North” and adapted for the screen by Willimon, Clooney and Grant Heslov, The Ides of March is less thrilling than it is eerily telling when it comes to the political process. It’s a look at how optimism becomes cynicism at the flip of a switch. It’s evil tainting good and the number one question it asks – Can you really believe in anyone?
Gosling leads the parade here. Most of his performance is right there in his eyes whether they’re glassy eyed and distraught, steely and determined or empty with disappointment. Everything his character is feeling is right there on his face, the only time he needs to talk is when he’s smooth-talking the press core, hitting on a determined intern or, when the time calls for it, pushing his weight around. He scores on all counts. Matched opposite heavyweights such as Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti he stands tall. As for the three I mentioned, they play a role, but this is Gosling’s show.
However, Evan Rachel Wood gets more screen time than I had anticipated, playing an intern with eyes for Stephen. Most of the time Wood is gaining attention for her time spent in period pieces as she can pull off the glamour of old Hollywood quite well. Yet here, as the soft-skinned Molly, she plays things well in a role she could have definitely played over the top to gain more on-screen attention, but it wouldn’t have suited the film in the least.
Clooney’s direction is subtle and never too bold. He captures some great shots in silhouette and chooses to shoot plenty of shots through glass, reminding the audience they’re outsiders looking in on a world they never see.
I particularly enjoyed Clooney and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael’s nod to Conrad L. Hall’s work in Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood. In one scene, Stephen is sitting in his car on a rainy night and the rain rolling down his windshield casts shadows on his face, mimicking tears. The same effect (although unintentional) was used in In Cold Blood and has just as powerful an effect here as it did there.
The real gut punch in Ides, though, comes in the film’s final 30 minutes and not at all for the reasons you’d expect. Clooney leaves the audience hanging and the end result will leave you cold and slightly disturbed. The more you begin to talk about what you’ve seen with friends, and the closer you evaluate the campaign process you’ve witnessed, the scarier it will become. Just whom exactly can you trust? Anyone? How do you know for sure? And even when you’re sure… are you really?
