The Ides of March

Did The Ides of March get mixed reviews? If it did, I think they are completely undeserved. It was an excellent film, delving into the manipulations and machinations of a US primary campaign. Yes, some aspects are quite predictable - the young innocent intern and the good-looking, smooth-talking presidential candidate (George Clooney) who seems too perfect to be true. The experienced campaign manager, smoking too much, living out of a suitcase, demanding loyalty from his staffers.

The central character in the story, though, is one of the top campaign aides, a yound idealistic man, whose illusions are shattered when he finds himself at the centre of a game played by the senior campaign managers on both sides. His "coming of age", so to speak, is what made The Ides of March interesting to me. What will he do? Will he quietly leave the world of politics, where his innocence cannot survive? Or will he become better at the game than the best of them, in the process betraying his own ideals? I love it when George Clooney makes political thrillers!  Et Tu, Brute!