The Pope has died and Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is to run the conclave for selecting the next one. There are four main candidates vying for the position. John Lithgow plays a corrupt Cardinal. Stanley Tucci plays the left leaning, progressive voice. The far right is portraited by Sergio Castellitto. And there is a black Cardinal played by Lucian Msamati who quickly becomes disqualified by the dirty tricks of Lithgow's character. Days of voting go by, which looks like mostly white men in red robes folding pieces of paper, babbling out Latin, and going for smoke breaks in the courtyard. It does sound dull but it's rather exciting. This isn't edge of your seat stuff, however the film remains captivating throughout. There are some excellent little speeches about faith and doubt. Isabella Rossellini shows up looking pensive and slightly pissed off - yes, she plays a nun. I thought I figured out the end, and I did, but this one gives us an extra twist M. Night Shyamalan would be proud to own. Catch the holy moly in theatres now. Amen.
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