Conclave

...Edward Berger’s Conclave makes for an unusually riveting, fun and entertaining ride, driven primarily by a superbly well-tuned, heavy-duty ensemble packed with star names...

In the separate realm of fiction, my feeling is that a palace intrigue is dramatically most effective when the palace is rotting from the inside -- and that Conclave in particular would have gained from a pinch more cynicism.

What unfolds as the cardinals go to war with each other… is as tantalising as a murder mystery. The candidates become suspects, leaks happen, and questions arise about who is telling the truth.

Conclave does not deserve its drama queen reputation.

... Not just dramatically satisfying, but philosophically satisfying.

It’s all competently performed and executed, with loud booms of sound cued to each scene change as an attempt to ramp up the tension, and lots of behind-the-head tracking shots of cardinals anxiously pacing through corridors and stairways.

Fiennes delivers a refined, cultured performance as a cardinal whose desires are for his own parish not for the drudgery of his official duties as the dean.

Conclave may irritate or offend millions of Catholics, but despite its gaudy plot, it gets one thing absolutely right. The future of the church and the spiritual and everyday lives of 1.4 billion people hinge on...ruthless ambition.

A heavenly cast and immaculate execution elevate a pulpy, but very relevant script.
[Full Review in Spanish]

A beautifully mounted white-knuckle ride through an ancient election process, with meditations on the nature of humanity