‘Conclave’ Review: Ralph Fiennes, Looking Tortured, Leads a Tense Search for a New Pope
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film Critic If you think the American presidential election has been unpredictable, wait’ll you see how capricious things get at the Vatican when the cardinals assemble to choose a new pope in “Conclave.” Adapted from the Robert Harris novel by Edward Berger, who assumes a very different challenge after “All Quiet on the Western Front,” this thinking man’s thriller unfolds like a murder mystery behind the locked doors of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the College of Cardinals are cloistered, except no one suspects foul play in the previous pontiff’s death.
Still, intrigues abound as the papabili — those considered next in line for the job, played by such formidable actors as Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow — pull whatever levers they can to be elected.
But “Conclave” obviously concurs with Plato’s adage, “Only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it,” featuring a host of candidates who seem positively British in their self-effacing humility, side by side with others ambitious enough to sabotage their rivals.
Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, “Conclave” lobs one the most satisfying twists in years, a Hail Mary that both surprises and restores one’s faith (maybe not everyone’s, but certainly that of the disillusioned).
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