The Ides Of March is a political drama directed by George Clooney about the tumultuous life of Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), as he attempts to manage the campaign of Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney). It's very much a thinker of a film, and is extremely dialogue-driven, as tense political discussions are quickly contrasted with personal strife and honour. Hoffman's role is as Paul Zara, Meyers' superior and mentor, and is quite possibly to be seen as the villain of the film. Zara is the face of the corrupted politician, deliberately feeding information regarding Meyers' personal life to the open in order to have his understudy removed from the campaign. Furthermore, he reveals that even in defeat, he is scheming to the end, happily able to take a huge cash settlement to enjoy retirement from politics, but whilst also acknowledging that his decision has had to come about due to the dirt Meyers must have found on him earlier in his career. Hoffman is brilliantly cold and calculating, and encapsulates the very idea of the untrustworthy and money-hungry politician, it truly is a masterclass in the understated film villain.
