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     Political dramas sometimes get lost in the legislative side of things, leaving the characters a bit one dimensional. This is not the case with George Clooney's forth feature film. We are introduced to a sprawling cast of characters who all become more and more complex as the film progresses. The Ides Of March doesn't tell the tale of Caesar's downfall, but there is plenty of backstabbing to warrant the name. Clooney's take on Beau Willimon's off Broadway play, Farragut North, is a chest-tightening drama bathed in suspense and set on the shoulders of Ryan Gosling, who puts forth another outstanding performance.

      In the midst of a heated Democratic Primary race in the swing state of Ohio, Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) and his campaign team, Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Junior Campaign Manager Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) go head to head against Senator Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell) and his Campaign Manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). Morris is an idyllic candidate backed by an experienced team, but Myers is still young and naïve that the political arena can harbor untouchable men of morals. He believes Morris is a good man, and one that has the potential to change the world, but as usual, things aren't as they seem. On the campaign trail, Myers hooks up with a young intern (Evan Rachel Wood) who's political roots run deep. She holds a dark secret that potentially could throw the entire campaign. After Myers reluctantly meets with Duffy in secret at his request, the event is leaked to the press (a bookish Marisa Tomei), leaving Myers and Zara with some tricky decisions to make. Electioneering is war, and everyone must decide whether to save themselves, the campaign, or both.

      Clooney's sense of pace is quite slick. The film moves with the same kinetic urgency that made the explosion of Facebook so exciting in The Social Network. Morris's team has a distinct buzz and jest that lends itself well to the deceitful cast of characters. Gosling's downward spiral into a conscientious transformation of ethics displays a man at his wit's end, ready to snap, but managing to somehow hold it together. His ability to portray an in control, highly confident man who has the reigns ripped from him grasp is enthralling. He's matched by a powerful supporting cast that sets the bar high, but still manages to let Gosling shine. The Ides Of March is a swift and suspense packed drama that lives and breathes politics, but let's its double-crossing cast take center stage. Clooney's newest is poised for Oscar season, and I wouldn't be surprised it if took a few statues home after the ceremony.

--Jordan M. Smith

Release Date: October 7, 2011