Director: John Madden
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, Sam Waterston, John Lithgow, Douglas Smith, Christine Baranski, Dylan Baker.
Who said politics was boring!? Oscar nominated Madden gives us a very sleek and dark psychological, political thriller that's like a court room drama infused with the mentality of a ingenious heist film.
We follow Miss Sloane, an incredibly cunning and shrewd lobbyist who has a reputation for destroying her opponents during campaigns. She's like the Kongming of Capitol Hill being able to predict the changes in the political climate, like a Kasparov being several steps ahead of her opposition, predicting their every move and eventuality. She's insatiable, the Keyer Soze of the political world assumedly powered by a self-medicating course of Modafinil.
Chastain is currently one of my favourite actresses with yet another amazing performance, especially having only seen her in The Zookeeper's Wife last month, she totally transforms into something else, she is something else. Here, playing a seemingly cold-hearted, power-driven, competitive professional who will do anything to ensure she wins.
It's loaded with mind games, rouses, poker faces and sneaky chess tactics that doesn't let up, slow down or even dumb down. Like her opponents, we, the audience are being played, never actually seeing her full capability until the final reveal.
There's a strong supporting cast with good performances from Strong and Stuhlbarg but it's Mbatha-Raw that is the only character that comes close to standing up to Sloane, but not close enough to steal the show from her.
Max Richter does an impressive score that melds melancholy and sombre moods with defiance and solidarity whilst actually being enlightening at times. I like how he uses piano solos to symbolise Miss Sloane creating an interesting theme.
It's thrilling, powerful, engaging and strangely alluring with an incredibly fast paced script that doesn't allow you any time to guess what's coming. It's certainly one of the best political thrillers I've ever seen.
"Mind-boogling, ingenious and incredible."
Running Time: 9
The Cast: 9
Performance: 9
Direction: 9
Story: 10
Script: 10
Creativity: 9
Soundtrack: 8
Job Description: 10
The Extra Bonus Point: 10 for an enthralling and refreshing political drama and Chastain's unshakable performance.
Would I buy the Blu-ray?: Definitely!
93% 9/10
