George Clooney's latest political thriller is thoughtful and provocative, and surprisingly, it avoids the liberal grandstanding you might be expecting. I suppose its in there, but it isn't at the forefront of the film. In this intimate drama, Ryan Gosling plays a political campaign specialist whose idealistic views are put to the test when he discovers the liberal he's working for might not be a saint after all. Ides of March has twists and turns but its surprisingly subtle and more interested in the nuts and bolts of the world of political campaigning. In that regard, it has a bit in common with Moneyball, only integrity is a little more scarce in Ides of March.

Clooney the director is confident and assured, and his choice to scale the action down, is a smart one. Clooney the actor is equally assured fashioning a presidential candidate who isn't without his flaws. Also turning in outstanding performances are sexy Evan Rachel Wood who lights up the screen as a campaign volunteer, Paul Giamatti as as a shifty rival campaign specialist, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a wily veteran on Clooney's team. As expected, there are a lot of double crosses in Ides of March, but the exciting part is watching how Gosling deals with these double crosses. The choice he makes at the end of the picture is an interesting one and while it will, no doubt, cause debate amongst movie fans and political pundits, I rather like the decision he makes. Gosling is having a hell of a year (see his stellar work in Drive and his feathery touch in Crazy Stupid Love), and with his expert turn in Ides of March, he's simply expanding on an already sterling resume.