This picture, based on a Robert Harris novel about a papal election, is well worth seeing at the cinema because it’s visually sumptuous. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely brilliant (so are Lithgow, Tucci and the rest of the cast) and the mechanisms and intrigues behind the ballots are really compelling. There are enough plot twists to keep you watching, despite what seems like a rather unpromising premise and the slightly bathetic climax.
I was also surpised at how many Cardinals seem to smoke or vape!
