Robert Harris had just completed a trilogy of novels about Cicero when he watched the election of Pope Benedict live on television. As a chronicler of power and its mutations, the scene — the Sistine ...
The “English Patient” actor was preparing for his next role, as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence in the pope drama, and wanted to spend time with the real deal.
It comes with a possibly career-best performance by Ralph Fiennes; a large, expert cast of cagey pros; the assured pace of a thriller; and a final twist that even those know-it-alls in heaven won’t ...
The film, directed by Edward Berger (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), captures all the grandeur, tradition and intrigue of the selection process for a new pope.