MISS SLOANE

(15, 132 mins)

PORTRAYED to icy perfection by Jessica Chastain, Elizabeth Sloane is a cutthroat lobbyist, who shrewdly anticipates her opponents’ moves and devises cunning counter-measures as she manipulates the hearts and minds of power players on Capitol Hill.

Elizabeth’s current firm of Cole Kravitz & Waterman, headed by George Dupont (Sam Waterston), implores her to lobby against a contentious bill which proposes more rigorous background checks for firearm purchases. She refuses and defects to rivals Peterson Wyatt, run by Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong), taking with her four ambitious juniors – Alex (Douglas Smith), Brian (Ennis Esmer), Franklin (Noah Robbins) and Lauren (Grace Lynn Kung).

Surprisingly, her personal assistant Jane (Alison Pill) refuses to accompany her and remains at Cole Kravitz & Waterman.

“You are delusional if you think you can survive without me,” snarls Elizabeth, who tests her reputation as a woman with a “gold medal in ethical limbo” by marshalling support for the bill.

In retaliation, Dupont searches for evidence of illegal practices that will force his former golden girl to stand trial at a hearing chaired by Congressman Ron M Sperling (John Lithgow)...