‘Career suicide’s not so bad when you consider the alternative is suicide by career...’
Because of the old monkey brain, I need courtroom thrillers to be easy to follow, preferably with captivating dialogue and compelling performances. I enjoyed Jessica Chastain’s turn in Molly’s Game so much recently that I decided to delve deeper into her filmography. Back in 2016, John Madden (not the football guy) directed Miss Sloane, a well received but unassuming film that didn’t make much of a cultural splash. To be honest, I can see why…
The plot… it’s difficult to say. Madeline Sloane (Chastain) is an influential lobbyist who suddenly develops scruples and is punished for doing so. Or at least that is the general gist I received. It’s something to do with gun laws anyway. John Lithgow, Mark Strong and Michael Stuhlbarg all come along for the ride also.
Chastain is just as enchanting here as she was in Molly’s Game, but the film around her simply isn’t as strong. The script is too wordy, the other performances too flat, and Chastain can’t do this thing all on her own.
Miss Sloane is a film that is too long and too tedious. The fact that I’m struggling to fill out four paragraphs tells you everything you need to know. Chastain is great, the ending is pretty great also, but the destination is not worth the journey. Skip it.