The Ides of March (2011)

Politics has always been a tricky subject to represent in a meaningful way. The problem is, by and large, that the subjects involved are almost beyond portrayal a lot of the time, such is the vacuous, used car salesman veneer of most politicians on the entire planet. How do you tell stories about non-people pretending to be people? The best efforts are often satirical (2009's 'In The Loop' being a fine example) or overly-glossy and not realistic (any episode of 'The West Wing'). Most works that tackle the murky world of politics are pieces like 'The Wire' (2004) or 'All The President's Men' (1976), wherein politics is kind of the macro world in which a far more compelling story takes place. 

However, in 2011 'The Ides of March' came out and made very little in the way of a splash upon it's release. This being despite the fact that it stars George Clooney and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles. Not to mention the likes of Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Evan Rachel Wood in supporting roles. To this day I am not sure why this film isn't more revered and remains a criminally underrated effort. It is one of the few portrayals of politics that rings absolutely true. It refuses to shy away from showing the multi-faceted and highly dysfunctional nature of not only American politics on a societal level, but the people who willingly enter this world. 

Based on the 2008 play 'Farragut North' by Beau Willimon, the story revolves around the key players in governor Mike Morris' (Clooney) attempt to become the Democratic presidential candidate. Gosling and Hoffman are his trusted campaign managers and attempt to guide him through the cutthroat world of the democratic process. In doing so, they are constantly faced will all manner of pitfalls which Morris must avoid in order to succeed. However we soon discover that the image Governor Morris puts forth to the public is very different to the real man behind it all. Does this come as a surprise when talking about a successful politician? No it does not. You almost have to be an amoral piece of shit to gain any sort of upward trajectory in your career. Is it interesting to see this played so uncompromisingly? Well, damnit, yes it is. These are not nice people and, you suspect, are very accurate to what goes on behind the scenes in real life. 

The dialogue is pretty much note perfect and unsurprisingly got nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Obviously the source material is largely responsible for this but there are some truly brilliant exchanges in this film, which is handy because the vast majority of the action involves people in different rooms talking. And then talking some more. But it's absolutely riveting stuff and, as a result of such great writing, the whole thing moves along at quite the pace. The directing, from Clooney himself, is also quite masterful. There are many outstanding moments and strong choices throughout that give that undeniable feeling that you are really there, in among all the skullduggery, glad-handing and backstabbing. All of which adds up to a fascinating glimpse into a world most of us will never know, care to know, or remotely understand. 

In terms of diabolical behaviour, most of us won't experience a hit squad putting three bullets through our hat in Umberto's Clam House on a Sunday night, but we will very likely experience people who smile in your face, wish you all the best in the world, and then shit on your entire existence in the name of 'doing their job' or furthering their own existence. In that sense, this film is far more chilling than something like 'Goodfellas' and works on multiple levels because of the finely balanced stakes. 

How this film isn't more lauded is beyond me. It may be because it came at a time when companies like Clooney's Smokehouse productions, or Brad Pitt's Plan B, or Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures were pumping out interesting, privately funded, movies at a rate of knots. Perhaps as a result of this wave, 'The Ides of March' simply got lost in the shuffle. But watching again in 2025, when movies are in the dire state that they currently are, you can't help but wonder what would happen if this were released today. It would probably be declared the best film in a decade and win every award under the sun. As it stands however, it just remains an unheralded classic and proves, once again, that Clooney in his pomp could make movies with the best of them. If you're at all interested in the machinations of a free and democratic society, this film is an absolute must. 

★★★★☆

JB.