As political thrillers go, “The Ides of March” is intriguing, focused on the campaign trail rather than the end-game of the presidency. While it is about the tricks and gambits players often have to participate in to get elected, it’s more about an ideal: What happens when a candidate you felt was perfect turns out to be less than so? Starting with a campaign staffer that “drunk the Kool Aid,” “The Ides of March” follows him through to an awakening at the hands of duplicitous politics, and the effect this has on him and those around him.
The film stars Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and pits them against another in interesting ways. Gosling is the relative campaign newcomer Stephen who boasts he’s “seen more campaign action” than most people do in their ’40s – he is 30. Hoffman plays Paul, campaign long-timer, who approaches the proceedings with pragmatism, hard work, and, above all, loyalty. They are working to get Governor Mike Norris (George Clooney) elected.
Norris starts off as the ideal candidate. But happenings along the campaign trail reveal him to be not devoid of skeletons. That the film, directed and co-wrote by Clooney, keeps this from Paul, but not from Stephen, is part of its strength. The film is not about the perfect candidate, but what happens when this illusion is lifted from one of those who was his biggest supporter.
The acting in the film is excellent. Gosling, who I’ve liked in films like “The Place Beyond the Pines” and “Drive” excels as Stephen Meyers, and gives us a believable descent into duplicity. He narrates early on, “I’ve played dirty before, but I don’t have to now. Because I’ve got Mike Norris.” The film throws around a good deal of politicking, using terms like ‘electable’ and ‘pro choice’ and ‘liberal,’ but handles the material in a way that its audience can easily pick up on.
Gosling is believable because he’s not perfect. We see early on he makes mistakes and dips into the wrong elements as he starts a casual relationship with a new intern (Evan Rachel Wood) and a risky alliance with a staffer from the other Democratic candidate’s camp (Paul Giamatti).
Hoffman is perfect as Paul, and delivers a fantastic performance. While Hoffman is usually great, some of his later works such as “Capote” or “A Most Wanted Man” were cloaked with dialogue heavy scripts and grey characters. Here we see him as black and white, easy to understand, and clear-intentioned. Two of his most powerful scenes are as he and Stephen talk with Norris about their campaign strategy (which entails Norris making a deal with a senator he despises), and when Paul painfully describes to Meyers why loyalty is the most important thing to him on a campaign. Hoffman makes us believe him due to his by-the-numbers delivery. This is never more true than the film’s ambiguous ending.
Of the three, Clooney is the least fleshed out, but handles his scenes well. It’s a credit to his writing and directorial talent here that he lays the spotlight on Paul and Stephen respectfully and doesn’t monopolize the screen here. As such, some of the film’s later scenes – such as one where he and Stephen attempt to power play the other – fall less dramatic than intended. But we get the impression Stephen is selling out; the film puts the right emphasis on this, and less on the reason for it. “The Ides of March” was nominated for an Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay,” and rightly shows throughout.
Additional players, such as Marisa Tomei and Jeffery Wright, round out the cast.
The film is additionally crafted in terms of its cinematography and score, both of which highlight the material well. My favorite scene has to be the film’s opening, where Meyers tests one of the Governor’s speeches in a darkened room before a microphone and empty audience. Later, the Governor utters the same words, but we see it’s perhaps Meyer’s who believes them more. The cinematography by Phedon Papamichael (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) highlights this. It’s the behind-the-scenes political happenings “Ides” wants us to remember, not the end result.
A minimalist soundtrack, with a few songs such as “Angel Eyes” by Earl K. Brent and “We’ll Meet Again” by Ross Parker and Charles Hughes, add ambiance as needed.
All in all, “The Ides of March” is a solid effort, and a good political drama by all standards. Not as in-depth as films like “Primary Colors,” it succeeds where it must – in showing the duplicity, deals, and emotions that go into the campaign process that many of us never think about as we head to the polls.
– by Mark Ziobro
