2011 was a heck of a year for Ryan Gosling. The “Barbie” actor starred in “Crazy, Stupid, Love," “Drive” and “The Ides of March”, and while the first two (rightfully) remain iconic to this day, the latter has unfortunately faded into the background and isn’t remembered quite as fondly. Fortunately, “The Ides of March” has just arrived on Prime Video this week and the film certainly holds up in 2025.
Also starring George Clooney (who also serves as director and co-screenwriter), “The Ides of March” is a phenomenal political thriller that is bursting with dramatic tension and if the one-two punch of Gosling and Clooney wasn’t enough to get your vote, the supporting cast is equally star-studded. It’s a movie that I’ve revisited numerous times over the years and continue to adore just as much to this day.
So, if you skipped this overlooked thriller back in 2011, or if it never found its way onto your radar (you can be forgiven, it didn’t make a huge cultural splash upon release), its arrival on Prime Video in the U.S. is your chance to circle back and experience this gripping political drama.
What is “The Ides of March” about?
Based on the play “Farragut North” by Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March” sees Ryan Gosling step into the role of Stephen Meyers, a junior campaign manager for the Governor of Pennsylvania Mike Morris (Clooney), who is currently competing in the Democratic presidential primary with eyes on the White House
For Meyers this is more than a job, he genuinely believes that Morris will change America, for the better. But when he’s offered a position by the opponent's campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) and begins a romantic involvement with an intern (Evan Rachel Wood), Meyer finds himself walking a fine line between professional and personal conflicts.
Things get even more heated when he discovers uncomfortable truths about Morris, and he’s forced to accept that the wannabe president he idolizes may not be the beacon of virtue that he’d thought. And this drama comes before the opposition plays their hand too.
Also starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jeffrey Wright (see what I mean about a phenomenal cast), “The Ides of March” combines smart writing with strong performances. And it's a must-watch now that it's on Amazon Prime Video.
Here’s why you should stream “The Ides of March” on Prime Video
“The Ides of March” definitely isn’t as topical as it was upon release. Without opening a can of worms, let’s just say the U.S. political landscape has shifted a lot in the past decade-and-a-half, but the flick is still worth watching even in 2025, thanks to its sharp writing and strong performances, especially from its leads. George Clooney and Ryan Gosling are fantastic and feed off each other perfectly.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of the movie is how the power dynamics constantly shift. You never quite know who is going to come out on top or which side is playing the other. Over the course of the 100-minute runtime, we see Gosling’s Meyers experience crushing defeats and extreme highs, and the same is true of most of the cast. It’s a reminder that in the political game, victories are hard-fought but also fleeting, with the ground never stable and powerplays often backfiring.
Clooney proves to be just as electric behind the camera as in front of it and keeps the movie moving forward at an engaging pace. This isn’t a political drama that gets bogged down in the details; instead, it incorporates thriller elements to keep viewers on their toes. It’s a supremely well-constructed movie with so many twists and turns that your head will be spinning trying to figure out which side is set to come out on top.
If my praise isn’t enough to convince you to add “The Ides of March” to your Prime Video watchlist, don’t just take it from me. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds an 84% score, enough to earn a Certified Fresh seal of approval. Its audience score is also solid at 73%, though I have to say, I think that’s a bit lower than it deserves.
Antonia Quirke of the Financial Times labeled the movie “A marvellously stable thriller that squeezes you so expertly you react in all the ways it wants” and Jonathan Crocker of Little White Lies called it “A dark drama that gleams with pure quality.” The New York Post’s Lou Lumenick was also impressed. “Smart and solidly entertaining, thanks to one of the year's top ensemble casts working at the top of its game,” said Lumenick in a largely positive review.
There are plenty of worthwhile new additions to Prime Video this month, but “The Ides of March” gets my vote for the one that you need to watch this weekend. However, if my pitch hasn’t fully convinced you, then check out our round-up of everything new on Prime Video in January 2025 for all the new movies and TV shows you can stream right now.
Watch "The Ides of March" on Prime Video now
More from Tom's Guide
