This Week's Review: Miss Sloane

On December 10, there were too many hordes of screaming children lined up to see Moana, so I ended up watching Miss Sloane, a thriller about an amoral lobbyist who will do almost anything to be successful, no matter how scummy the current client might be.

I knew from the trailers that the film would be an exercise in propaganda and that the Second Amendment would be the target. I was not far wrong; the film is indeed a polemic, but it is more even-handed and more dramatic and the title character more ambiguous and subtle than I anticipated. If you have fond memories of The Sting, you might enjoy this one while waiting for Rogue One to open.

Jessica Chastain does well as Miss Sloane, but I found myself repelled by her makeup. Her face is almost grotesque in some scenes and that does not jibe with her character’s intelligence. Sam Waterson and John Lithgow appear in only a few scenes and I did not recognize any other cast members.

The plot does have several twists and turns; I anticipated some of them, but I did not foresee the final scene. The film’s major premise, from beginning to end, is one that haunts us all: can the end, no matter how desirable or good, ever justify the means?