Posts Tagged ‘political thriller’

Short Take: Deftly written and directed for those who have forfeited all optimism for American politics - or are prepared to

Director: George Clooney

Screenwriters: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon; based on Farragut North by Beau Willimon

Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright

Length: 1h 41m

Synopsis: Nearing the turning point to a highly contested Democratic Primary election, Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) and his chief campaign managers Paul (Hoffman) and Stephen (Gosling) are trying desperately to win out against the competing Senator and his crafty press secretary Tom Duffy (Giamatti) for the pivotal state of Ohio. Soon before full support is set to swing in either candidate’s favor, dependent upon the backing of the powerful Senator Thompson (Wright), Stephen, a genuinely fervent devotee of Morris’ politics, accidentally gets entangled in a small scandal when Duffy decides to bid for his defection. Word of the two’s meeting creates friction at the top of the Morris campaign, and from there on the dominos fall in the direction of defeat. Forced to test his loyalties by defending his personal ambitions, Stephen finds a way to play himself back into good professional standing using questionable influences and political chicanery. Although he may have started out rather green, Stephen discovers just how dirty the art of politics can really be.

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Short Take: The tagline reads "Who is Salt?" - but does the movie even know?

Director: Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector)

Screenwriter: Kurt Wimmer (Law Abiding Citizen)

Cast: Angelina Jolie (Wanted, Changeling), Liev Schreiber (Repo Men), Chiwetel Ejiofor (2012, Serenity)

Length: 1h 40m

Synopsis: Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a CIA operative who was recently rescued from captivity in North Korea. She has a husband, a distinguished career profile, and is looking forward to celebrating her wedding anniversary. Before officially clocking out the night of, however, her superiors ask that she interrogate a man who could possibly be a Russian spy. During the interrogation the man pegs Salt as also being a Russian spy by saying she was his contact in the United States. Not taking chances, the CIA tries to hold Salt but she gets away, leading them on a wild chase that they hope will reveal exactly which side she’s fighting for. Read the rest of this entry »