As a political thriller, George Clooney’s Ides of March only half succeeds. Whilst its cast and direction ensure audiences will be entertained, the plot lacks originality, and isn’t thought provoking in the way a political drama of this kind should be.

Ides of March is centred around presidential junior campaign manager Stephen Meyers and chronicles his fall from a principled idealist to calculating cynic. Throughout the film, audiences are practically bombarded with parables about the tough nature of politics. This will hardly be a revelation to most who go see Ides of March and the film does very little to establish its own take on the subject. What perhaps will leave audiences even more confused is how the title, which references the assassination of Julius Caesar, reflects the events of the film, which depicts multiple power brokers, none of whom are assassinated.

While the political ideas explored in the film won’t leave a lasting impression, what keeps the story  compelling is the acting talent of an incredible cast and solid directing from Clooney. While it’s frustrating to see both Phillip Seymour Hoffman and  Paul Giamatti in the same film only to have them both relegated to supporting roles as rival senior campaign managers, they take what might otherwise have been some rather dry monologues and load them with impact and gravity.

Clooney, as well as directing, plays Meyers’ boss Governor Morris, an almost implausibly progressive democrat and a clear allegory to what democrats would like Barack Obama to be. Of course for Clooney, the role of the larger than life politician must have been somewhat appealing given his occasional irrational jaunts into politics, but his performance on screen is utterly professional. The main role of Meyers is played by none other than Ryan Gosling, who delivers a performance that's both charming and tense when it needs to be. As a result, while Ides of March lacks merit as a political piece, it definitely succeeds as a thriller.

Unfortunately, while its execution ensures audiences will remain engaged, the lack of originality in the plot will probably result in the film being forgotten within weeks.