Conclave

Ralph Fiennes delivers a master class in acting in Edward Berger's juicy, jolting mystery thriller that uses the fictional election of a new pope in Rome to mirror America's own dirty politics. What fun! And the drama of It will pin you to your seat.

"Conclave" puts us inside a deeply mysterious world - but one which, once turned inside-out, turns out to be surprisingly familiar.

There is much to admire about Conclave, but in the end, all of its lofty aspirations come tumbling down due to that poorly constructed Jenga tower of a plot.

Watching brilliant actors face off over issues of idealism, pragmatism, and maybe occasionally faith makes for captivating viewing. Conclave even dares to make it a little *fun*. Which might be its most subversive element.

'Conclave' is a visually sumptuous movie with a somber undercurrent.

It challenges us to challenge ourselves and is wildly entertaining, one of the year's standout films.

Berger and Fiennes manage to make a religious movie feel authentic, non-preachy and left me feeling that maybe there is hope in religion after all.

'Conclave' held me in its grip from start to finish. I had a great time watching and predict that it will be a crowd-pleaser

All the acting is top notch, but Ralph Fiennes is nothing short of masterful as Lawrence, a good man caught in the maelstrom of these red-robed men and their outsized ambition, all while grieving the pope and suffering his own crisis of faith.

As Lawrence, Fiennes reflects the audience's ongoing unsureness. Fortunately, he is one of the few actors who can make indecision feel active.

There's a great deal of talking in "Conclave," not just dark-corner murmuring, yet the dialogue remains largely naturalistic throughout.

You can dress up Camembert with truffles and serve it on a gleaming silver platter, but in the end, it's still cheese -- and is best enjoyed as such.

Even for those that have never sat on the edge of their pew at mass, this battle for the soul of the church is sure footed, suspenseful, satisfying and executed without a scrap of fat -- a prime movie for grownups.

None of it rings true; those who seek a serious dramatic inquiry into the inner workings of the church should look elsewhere.

Conclave is undeniably engrossing to watch as it shuffles and reshuffles the narrative deck and serves up one juicy cardinal-red herring after another. While the story may be a parlor trick, there's nothing phony about Fiennes' performance.

Despite its heavyweight subject matter, however, the result is remarkably playful; without flattening the importance of the papacy or abandoning the novel's attention to detail, Conclave exposes the sometimes farcical nature of institutional practices.

Instead of rising to the awe-inspiring heights of their settings, the refinement of the performances is narrowed to monotony.

Ralph Fiennes's best role in recent memory.

As with All Quiet On the Western Front, Berger is concerned with machinery and modernity and how they clash with tradition.

It's very entertaining, although I have to say I didn't believe a minute of it.