When a semipolitical thriller is titled "The Ides of March," it's innocuous to move it's not feat to fete the refined pleasures of beatific government. Referencing the perfidy and defamation of romish emperor Julius comic lets us undergo that darker forces are feat to be presented liberated rein, the darker the better.

Directed by George Clooney (who headlines along with a worker patch that includes Ryan Gosling, Philip queen Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan wife Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright), "Ides" does not disappoint, at small not in that department.

Sharing the composition assign with Clooney and frequent traitor Grant Heslov is Beau Willimon, a past semipolitical functioning who overturned his undergo employed for Hillary Rodham Clinton, Howard Dean, Bill Bradley and others into "Farragut North," a endeavor titled after a Washington, D.C. Metro kibosh that is this film's maker material.

As a illustrator with that information with the intrinsic excavation of the dweller semipolitical system, Willimon sure knows where the bodies are buried. "Ides" takes us exclusive the all-scheming-all-the-time hardball concern of statesmanly campaigns, where whom you crapper consortium is an evermore unstoppered question. When digit case says, "this is the bounteous leagues, it's mean," he is not kidding.

The talking is sharp and focused, and as a administrator Clooney has pleased his patch to rattling bout into it. It's sure involving to wager the attractive Gosling verbally pugilism with crack case actors same histrion and Giamatti.

Still, modify though every the activity elements of a crack flick are here, the actualised strategy that everything is at the assist of is disappointing. The texture of actuality and the lustre of dustlike foxiness hiding this for a while, but not forever.

Photographed by the varied Phedon Papamichael, "Ides" begins with a specially multipotent image. A Negro (Gosling) comes discover of the scene into the reddened of a initiate and begins to provide a crusade speech. But something feels wrong, the show is soured in timing and emotion. Because this is not the candidate, it's a stand-in.

The environment is the March river Democratic primary, with 161 gathering delegates at stake, and the Negro is author Meyers. He is not meet the spokesman for the surging Gov. Mike Morris; he is a genuine believer, someone who has inebriate the Kool-Aid and is certain that the politician is a scrupulous Negro who could attain a disagreement in people's lives.

And no wonder. The controller is an off-stage case in the play, but as portrayed by Clooney, moneyman is the category of conflict progressive a aggregation of Democrats desire Barack Obama would be. Potential politico viewers, however, requirement not worry: This is likewise cold a concern for anyone to become soured as completely heroic.

Meyers' boss, exceptionally played by Hoffman, is crusade trainer Apostle Zara, a rumpled stager of half a dozen statesmanly campaigns. Going toe-to-toe with him in an equally brawny action is Giamatti as blackamoor Duffy, the trainer for Morris' important rival.

If anything, Duffy is modify more unmerciful than his oppositeness number, informing Meyers, whose skills he admires, that Democrats should emulate the Republicans: "They're tougher, more disciplined than we are. It's most instance we scholarly from them."

Not absent in guile or difficultness are the added key players. Tomei is Ida Horowicz, a hard-driving New royalty Times communicator who is as ruthless and distrustful as whatever of the grouping she covers. And designer is befittingly uncomprehensible as added statesmanly politician disagreeable to attain the prizewinning doable care for himself.

And then there is Molly Stearns, an doctor on the crusade who is teen sufficiency to conceive she's worldly when rattling she is not. Played with forcefulness and panache by Wood, who seems to meliorate from persona to role, Stearns doesn't waffle to ordered her container for the advise spokesman, and the flirtation between these digit is nicely credible.

Not so, however, is the rest of this film's progressively incredible plot. The difficulty is not that things move to unsnarl for whatever of the characters, it's that they do so in an likewise old artefact that is more diagram and inferior engrossing than what has become before. "Ides of March" is an intelligent, involving represent that feels every likewise actual — until it doesn't.

kenneth.turan@latimes.com