(15) 101min

George Clooney – more salt than pepper, more actor than director. Like Good Night, and Good Luck, his fourth feature directorial effort dissects America’s political system and surmises that it is fuelled of corruption and greed.

The Ides of March is set around a hotly contested Ohio Presidential Primary where Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) is trying to deal the knockout blow that will confirm him as the Democratic presidential candidate. A mundane opening is spent being introduced to an idealistic press secretary (man of the moment Ryan Gosling), two wily campaign managers (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti), an unscrupulous journalist (Marisa Tomei) and a young intern (Evan Rachel Wood). Inevitably there is a sex scandal and the press secretary is taught some harsh lessons about the murky world of politics and the media. Surprisingly effective for such a by-the-numbers political drama, it may see Clooney on the campaign trail himself, for votes from Academy Award members.

General release from Fri 28 Oct.