The Ides of March

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)

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 (02/26/2013)

Politics, psychology, intrigue, manipulation. It’s good, with excellent performances and a solid narrative value. It's just a shame that it's too short and therefore not very epic, but much more like television. In terms of atmosphere, Michael Clayton was slightly better and broader. Just when it was starting to get really suspenseful, the end came. (09/11/2014)

It's not entirely George Clooney's fault, because he was once again successful behind and in front of the camera, but The Ides of March, I would say, is his least successful directorial effort to date. From my point of view, everything is mainly due to the choice of substance, because political dirt, intrigue and the fact that the person who smiles and means well (not only) during elections can be a scumbag is nothing new. And since nothing actually happened in the 100 minutes of that I didn't expect, the plot didn't really progress, and I felt like a lot of it was missing. Especially the ending was too rushed and bland. Nevertheless, the film is very well shot and acted, accompanied by Desplat's wonderfully listenable music, and it’s certainly not boring. It's just that compared to Clooney's previous works it's nothing special.__P.S. I found Ryan Gosling incredibly unsympathetic, but that's probably how he was supposed to come across. (02/15/2012)