Conclave

"A riveting peek behind the curtains of religious power."

"One of those rare films that respects the audience’s attention, even as it sneaks a few tricks behind their backs."

"An impeccably crafted thriller."

"Promises sinful entertainment but trips over its own vestments."

"Berger pulls off paradox after paradox with this thing. It’s methodical and propulsive, classy and shameless, austere and juicy."

"It challenges us to challenge ourselves and is wildly entertaining."

"All of its lofty aspirations come tumbling down due to that poorly constructed Jenga tower of a plot."

"A visually sumptuous movie with a somber undercurrent."

"Dramatic, riveting."

"The wreckage is substantial, but its depths are shallowly rendered."

"Loses the faith of its fun B-movie convictions."

"Some truly nutty pope fiction."

"None of it rings true."

"While the story may be a parlour trick, there’s nothing phony about Fiennes’ performance."

"Fine performances but merely methodical drama."

"Ralph Fiennes’s best role in recent memory."

"It’s the quietly magisterial Fiennes who steals the show."

"Ralph Fiennes is flawless in Robert Harris’s preposterously gripping drama of papal electioneering."

"A high-camp gripper, like the world’s most serious Carry On film."

"An unlikely potboiler that Berger presents not only thoughtfully, but viciously and deliciously."

"The twisty, Oscar-tipped Conclave needed more than shock and awe."

"I’ll be damned if Conclave isn’t one of the most riveting religious thrillers I’ve ever seen."

"The tone is wry, the plot sturdy, the main course a thick porterhouse slab of grass-fed, richly marbled acting, delivered to your seat."

"A slick romp with delusions of grandeur."

"It reminds us, brilliantly, that a riveting thriller need not depend on sex, violence or even criminality."