There have been many political thriller films based on a true story and/or person, but finally we get treated to one of these films that is straight out of a writer's head--pure fiction, which makes "Miss Sloane" refreshing as well as entertaining. All in all, it's simply a pleasure to see a film based on pure imagination for a change.
In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. Known equally for her cunning and her track record of success, she has always done whatever is required to win. But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds that winning may come at too high a price.
Sloane, through a Brady Bill advocate company run by Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong) takes on a powerful gun lobby headed up by George Dupont (Sam Waterston) and Pat Connors (Michael Stuhlbarg) in the wake of several mass shootings, but Sloane's mission quickly becomes a frustrating ordeal that threatens to derail her career.
Others to round out the cast are Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Esme Manucharian, Alison Pill as Jane Molloy, Jake Lacy as Forde, John Lithgow as Senator Ron M. Sperling, Ennis Esmer as Brian, Douglas Smith as Alex, Dylan Baker as TV Host, Lucy Owen as Cynthia, Al Mukadam as Ross and Chuck Shamata as Bob Sanford.
This is directed by, what I have deemed as a chameleon, John Madden ("Ethan Frome" '93, "Golden Gate" '93, "Mrs. Brown" '97, "Shakespeare in Love" '98, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" '01, "Proof" '03, "Killshot" '08, "The Debt" '10, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" '11, "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" '15) plus TV and TV movies. I say chameleon because of the eclectic resume this filmmaker has been able to acquire. Each one of his projects are completely different--so much so that he doesn't really have a trademark to his films which makes his work definitely artistic. The subtlety of emotions in his characters in this production is amazing. Interesting, this was written by a newcomer, Jonathan Perera who has never written anything before, not even TV. Considering the obvious lack of experience, this screenplay was definitely played out well. Besides a number of choppy areas in script, this was a well honed storyline. This format has certainly been executed before--where the story starts at a pivotal point, and then flashbacks to a certain time and then builds up to the place you came in at and then goes beyond that point to its final conclusion. This format is not an easy one--even seasoned writers can have a problem with continuity and cohesiveness. So with this knowledge, Perera actually was able to pull this off. Jessica Chastain was certainly at the top of her game as Sloane. Although she is a consummate actor, she definitely shined in this film
If you like pure fictional political thrillers, you will revel, because this is certainly as good as it gets for excitement and adrenaline. The script definitely jumps around a bit, but between Chastain's performance and the sheer tenseness of the storyline, this will surely entertain you all the way until the film's end.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: R 131Mins.
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