Conclave | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

Though a bit slow, Conclave is worth every minute of its runtime. Ralph Fiennes nails the delicate balance between doubt and conviction, delivering shocking reveals in this papal mystery that will coax gasps from the audience.

Berger ratchets up the drama like an expert angler playing his catch, assisted by Stéphane Fontaine’s imaginative cinematography and Volker Bertelmann’s tension-tightening score. Terrific!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a juicy ascendancy story without a steady flow of Machiavellian machinations and revelations, although they are delivered effectively here...

Conclave is briskly enjoyable, but once you've wafted the white smoke away, it leaves you with frustratingly little to chew on.

This look at the intersection of faith, power, and politics is best enjoyed without prior spoilers to fully appreciate its dramatic impact. I can count on one hand the films that made me audibly gasp in the theater, and this is one of those few.