With Democrats like these …

These days, making films about evil Republicans is like shooting fish in a barrel, so I was pleased to see that The Ides of March didn’t take the easy route. Oh, the malevolent hand of the GOP still looms in the background — this is George Clooney’s film, after all — but he spares us the obvious polemic and instead delivers an incisive, nuanced look at the corrupting influence of sex and power in American politics. Turns out liberal Democrats aren’t exactly immune. Who knew?

All the players are Democrats here (rival campaigns trying to wrap up Ohio for the presidential nomination) and after the first 20 minutes or so there’s not much nobility to be found. Having read almost nothing about this movie before seeing it, I was happy to see all these great actors turning up: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei (yes!). Always nice to discover what a great cast can do with good script. And it’s interesting to see the continuing evolution of the mobile phone as a staple plot device.

Anyway, for a movie devoid of vampires, superheroes and helicopter chase scenes, this thing is as compelling as anyone could want. Dave Bob says check it out.