“I’ve worked on more campaigns than most people have by the time their 40. He’s the only one who’s actually going to make a difference in people’s lives.” That’s young, idealistic press secretary Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) telling jaded, opportunistic reporter Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) what he truly believes about his boss Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) in the dramatic film The Ides of March.

It’s the last few frantic days of the heavily contested Ohio Democratic presidential primary and Myers is the golden boy. He’s the right-hand man of Morris’ campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), he’s got the ear of the Governor who trusts his insight, and he’s being pursued by Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), the most attractive intern on the campaign trail.

Life and politics however become convoluted and confusing for Myers when the campaign manager for the Democratic candidate opposing Morris, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), reaches out and offers Myers a job while dropping a bomb on Myers that a key political ally, Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), is about to endorse Morris’ opponent and bury any hope for Morris to win the presidency.

Surprised but not trusting Duffy, Myers turns down the offer and decides to not bother Zara about the secret meeting. During the next few days, Myers gets a crash course in the real dirty world of politics including lies, deception, betrayal, sex, and a political scandal that will alter the fate of the presidential race permanently.

The Ides of March is an engrossing political drama with an A-list cast and an intriguing plot. Ryan Gosling delivers a solid performance as Myers, the up-and-coming political strategist whose moral and ethical beliefs begin to falter once the campaign race becomes dirty, difficult, and dangerous. Paul Giamatti steals every scene he’s in as Paul, the seasoned, ruthless campaign manager out to destroy Morris no matter what it takes.

Evan Rachel Wood delivers what should be considered her best performance to date as Molly, the sexy, ambitious but ultimately fragile intern who doesn’t realize until way too late she’s barely treading water in the political sea full of amoral sharks. George Clooney is very effective as Governor Morris, the presidential candidate who might just be too good to be true. He brings to the screen the right amount of charm and confidence that an aspiring president needs to win votes.

The film has a sophisticated look and feel to it, with sharp dialogue and a behind-the-scenes take on the urgency and at times ugly world of politics. It captures realistically the game-playing, whirlwind, and paranoia of the political arena. And it’s reminiscent of two earlier political films: The Best Man starring Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson, and Robert Redford’s The Candidate.

The only flaw in the film is its director’s choice of camera shots and angles. Clooney’s need to have an extreme close-up whenever two characters are having a private and intimate moment is both distracting and annoying. When the audience can actually see the actors’ makeup and facial flaws it takes them out of the drama of the story and reminds everyone it’s only a movie.

Clooney the director has also not yet learned when to cut a scene. There are far too many scenes in the film that continue on with a character either standing or looking out after the point and action of the scene has concluded. Instead of creating tension or interest, it merely feels that the film is unsure which scene to go to next. This causes the film to feel at times slow and oddly paced.

Still, with strong performances from a great ensemble cast and a surprising, engaging plot that will keep the audience wondering who’ll end up the front-runner for the White House, The Ides of March should not be missed.

GRADE B-

The Ides of March hits theaters on October 7, 2011 and is rated R for pervasive language.