The Ides of March

An ultra-bitter probe into the inside of the machine in which reality is prepared. The fantastic Gosling, who, even without a single grimace, can contain the fascinating tension between idealism and pragmatism, an excellent script and a wonderfully escalated scathing ending. An overall balanced and anti-idealistic drama that is an excellent counterweight to Hollywood escapism, which dominates Oscar nominations. It is a pity that, especially in the beginning, fairly solid knowledge of the American electoral system is needed (which I do not have at all), so I was groping slightly in the first minutes. But I blame myself for that and not The Ides of March. [85%] (01/23/2012)

When Ryan Gosling played the lead role in the series "Young Hercules", he probably didn't even dream about meeting such great actors on the screen. In his career, he has already met actors like Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, or younger ones like Emma Stone or Michelle Williams, but he catapulted into the first league with the film "The Ides of March". Of course, he also made a name for himself in the movie "Drive", where he was perfect. In the film "The Ides of March", however, he met actors like George Clooney or Philip Seymour Hoffman. This is the damn first league. Not only was he able to easily compare himself to them, but he also played the lead role among them. "The Ides of March" is a film by George Clooney, who directed and wrote the screenplay. "Ides of March" is the term for the day when Gaius Julius Caesar was killed. It was March 15, 44 BC. "Ides" is the English version of the Latin "idus", which represents the middle of a given month, in this case, March 15. However, "The Ides of March" is definitely not as drastic a story as the killing of Caesar, but it is still a fairly good metaphor. The film tells the story of the backstage of elections, which is definitely not kind and friendly, although I think it could be harsher. The main trio of men is absolutely excellent, but their performance does not guarantee that the story will be sufficiently consistent. It's just a fragment, nothing is properly explained, nothing is concluded. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/09/rebelka-perfect-sense-sprosty-holky.html (02/27/2013)

Clooney is precise. All of the storylines are designed to the smallest detail, Gosling’s acting is excellent (he’s having a really good year right now) and even I would have chosen Clooney. The chess game is great to watch. The lesson of the story is somehow too classic and so there is nothing world-shattering about the Ides of March apart from well-made drama. (12/28/2011)

A conflict of careerism versus loyalty in an easy-to-follow script with precise direction, leading to magnificent acting performances. The Ides of March dispenses subplots and has fewer characters than we are accustomed to from similar films, but this allows the movie to place more focus on its characters. That it looks more like a great HBO opus rather than an ambitious cinema production is a failing only to the point that it’s enough to watch it at home (as opposed to the more visually stunning and atmospheric Michael Clayton, which was more enjoyable on the big screen). (02/15/2012)

This is another in Clooney’s series of contributions pointing out the wrongs of contemporary politics. This time he takes the Michael Clayton route, which means perfectly slick suits with a high coefficient of immorality, visual austerity, and audience nausea from all the characters who pass through the film. [PS: Gosling reigns supreme, keep it up.] (01/05/2012)