George Clooney has his fingerprints all over the crackling good new film "The Ides of March," based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon. Clooney directs, co-wrote the screenplay with Willimon, and also co-stars. Did I mention GC is also one of the film's producers?
Clearly Clooney felt passionate about the story of a recent Presidential campaign, and it shows. Not only is the film crisply shot and smoothly edited, but the cast is stuffed with talented actors including Oscar and Tony winners. This emphasis on a political story with actors who are talented first, stars second, coupled with a refreshingly retro visual style, particularly in the 70's typeface of the title sequence, betrays the work of a filmmaker who came of age during that legendary decade of progressive American cinema.
The work of Alan J. Pakula's epochal "All The President's Men" comes to mind, as do any number of other Hollywood films from the decade of the auteur. For "March," Clooney gives us the movie star appeal of the handsome Ryan Gosling and himself, as well as the luminous Evan Rachel Wood. For the supporting staff, there's the captivating Jeffrey Wright and engaging Marisa Tomei, both playing wonderful character roles that rank among the most memorable supporting turns of the year. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are dependably good (and evil) as well.
The story itself is an intriguing one of political corruption, but it is the focused dialogue, smart camera work, and particularly the impressive cast that make this film sing. Clooney plays the Governor at the center of the story, yet his role is more of an ensemble turn, as each of the above players has a juicy, pivotal role. It's unclear how much of the story has changed since the source play was presented at Off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater in '08, but given the playwright's co-writing credit, it is likely much has been retained.
Despite Clooney's acting Oscar and numerous film roles, it is likely that he plans to gradually shift his focus towards directing. "Ides" is his fourth film at the helm, and along with "Good Night, and Good Luck," it shows a talent for intelligent storytelling and a gift for showcasing talented actors like the above and that film's David Strathairn and Patricia Clarkson, smart actors who happen to be fascinating to watch and who deserve to be bigger deals.
Not to give too much up about the film, but to say that it is a mystery that is great fun to watch and memorable to boot. Somewhere Sidney Lumet is smiling.
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