Movie · 2016 · Thriller, Drama, Crime · 2h 13m · R · English
Curator score: 6.1/10 (142.1K ratings)
Make sure you surprise them.
Overview
An ambitious lobbyist faces off against the powerful gun lobby in an attempt to pass gun control legislation.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.1/10
IMDb: 7.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.69/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 64
TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
John Madden
Production
FilmNation Entertainment, Transfilm, Archery Pictures, Ciné+, France 2 Cinéma, Canal+
Cast
Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alison Pill, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jake Lacy, David Wilson Barnes, Dylan Baker, Raoul Bhaneja, Chuck Shamata, Christine Baranski, Sam Waterston, John Lithgow, Aaron Hale, Al Mukadam, Douglas Smith, Grace Lynn Kung, Noah Robbins, Andrew Moodie, Kyle Mac
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, propulsive Washington thriller with a star-making central performance. It’s less about procedural realism than about watching a brilliant, ruthless strategist weaponize every room she enters, which makes it especially satisfying if you like political cat-and-mouse stories with a feminist edge.
Best for
viewers who like talky political thrillers
fans of intense, high-control lead performances
people interested in lobbying, power, and Washington backroom politics
audiences who enjoy morally complicated protagonists
Skip if
you want a warm or uplifting drama
you need airtight realism over dramatized brinkmanship
you dislike dense dialogue and fast-moving strategy scenes
you prefer ensemble pieces over a single dominating lead
Overview
Miss Sloane is a sleek, aggressively watchable political thriller built around pressure, leverage, and performance. It turns lobbying into a battlefield and gives Jessica Chastain a role that thrives on speed, precision, and icy confidence. The movie is at its best when it treats every conversation like a knife fight and every concession like a trap.
Worth noting
What keeps it memorable is the sheer force of the central character. The film may be stylized and occasionally schematic, but it understands the appeal of watching someone smarter than everyone else in the room refuse to blink first. That makes it less a sober civics lesson than a high-gloss power fantasy with real bite.
Bottom line
If you respond to tightly wound dialogue, political maneuvering, and women written as formidable agents of chaos rather than supporting players, this lands hard. If you want nuance over momentum, or a more grounded look at policy and process, it may feel a little engineered. Still, it’s an effective, underappreciated mainstream thriller with a memorable lead turn.
Top Letterboxd reviews
#1 gizmo fan (4★) · 1041 likes
jessica chastain could blink in my direction and I would have a heart attack
Lucy (4.5★) · 703 likes
i was so blown away by this movie that my body kept flying further back into the theater as the film progressed, much like a human feather, until i smacked up against the projector at full force and had to be surgically removed
Lucy (4.5★) · 684 likes
no exaggeration, this is one of the most impressive and overlooked mainstream films of 2016. and to me, truly, this IS jessica chastain's best performance to date. for the first time in what feels like years, she finally gets a role with enough room to stretch her legs and use every ounce of her skill, and it shows. i am so fucking blown away that i'm getting whiplash
cinéfila... 🕯️ (4★) · 549 likes
miss chastain: destroys careers, ruins lives and reads people for filth
me: you're doing amazing sweetie
1993 · Drama, Mystery, Thriller · 2h 34m · R · Curator 4.3/10 (284.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A slick legal-thriller template for watching intelligence and ambition collide with institutional power.