Strong Performances Save Political Drama ‘Miss Sloane’ from a Confounding Script

As a political thriller meant to capture the underhanded dealings of lobbying and, in larger scale, offer sensationalized commentary on political corruption, Miss Sloane does well, at least, in nailing the sensationalist part. The film follows Elizabeth Sloane, the tactician’s tactician when it comes to political maneuverings, as she jumps ship from one side of a Senate vote on gun control, to the opposite side, for the sheer challenge of winning. Gun control is an issue you would expect an educated, politically-minded person to hold convictions or opinion, but it would be the wrong assumption in the case of Sloane who, as far as you’ll ever know, cares only about winning, having sold her soul long ago and, for a frustratingly unshared reason, sacrificed her morals to live a life based on her skill of lying. Miss Sloane’s reputation precedes her in Washington as a cutthroat strategist who stays one step ahead of everyone in the ultimate political chess game, to which the film captures aggressively and often. Any argument? Sloane wins. Any plan? Sloane has a counterplan. Miss Sloane is a movie starring the character essence of Peter “Littlefinger” Baelish in modern-day Washington, D.C., only with no other competitors in the Game of Thrones. When Sloane switches to the pro-regulation side of the gun control debate it’s solely for her career, as the somewhat cliché representation of the woman who excelled in her career at the loss of her humanity, and who, perhaps, might gain th…