Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is one of the top lobbyists in Washington with a winning streak that is unmatched. She works at the top lobby firm where she is propositioned by NRA member Bob Sanford (Chuck Shamata), who wants Sloane to organize a campaign to attract women to buy firearms. She disrespectfully declines. However, a chance encounter with Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong), the CEO of a small boutique lobbyist firm, brings Elizabeth to the other side of the gunfight. This starts a war between those for and against gun control. One group wants to screen and do background checks on those who buy guns, and the others want to prevent screenings. Elizabeth in her wacky way hatches a plan to ensure she wins this battle at all cost. And I do mean all.

Elizabeth Sloane isn’t a lover--she’s a pill-popping machine. She isn't interested in family and never talks about her own. To her, people are pawns, and she will use them as she sees fit. She meets male escort/gigolos to have sex because it's a human need much like eating, nothing more. She keeps you in suspense as no one is sure what bonkers s**t she's up to. For example, there is a scene where Rodolfo calls Sloane's antics tantamount to “James Bond spy shit,” because Sloane has her co-workers followed by private investigators and has their conversations recorded without permission. How does she accomplish this? By using cockroaches that are wired and controlled to record audio and video.

Now, most people are likely to shy away from danger, but not Sloane. Sneaking behind other's back, and putting herself in harm's way, just to win--which may cost her her freedom--this is her legacy.

Elizabeth Sloane is a character so different from shy, soft-spoken Jessica Chastain. That should be a testament to how talented she is. In her career, she has shown a full range of talent where she plays the somber daughter in Interstellar, an action heroine in The Huntsman: Winter’s War, and an incestuous murderer in Crimson Peak. Now in Miss Sloane, Chastain brings the heat. She carries this film on her shoulders and elevates a flawed story. Chastain’s chemistry with actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw who co-stars as Esme Manucharian is magical. Esme is the liberal lobbyist who has an honest reason for wanting tighter gun laws. Raw is sincere in her performance. The sadness in her eyes makes a statement that her character is serious about reckless gun use. She is a powerful, and emotional actress that brings vigor to her performances. It’s time the award circuit recognizes talent.

While Miss Sloane is an entertaining movie, with some humorous moments and glamorous fashion, writer Jonathan Perera misses an opportunity to educate the audience on the lobbying history. The film is too over the top. It was almost like watching politicians on a long Jerry Springer episode. John Madden’s blue/gray filter drains the film of its color to create a gloomy atmosphere. I don’t blame him. From the looks of it, lobbying is depressing.

Miss Sloane could not have come at a more awkward time. When Johnathan Perera wrote the script, I wonder if he ever intended for the movie to have this much relevancy. With the major turn of events in America, this political/thriller comes at you like a freight train with its dollar store, Aaron Sorkin-esque dialogue. What saves the film from total self-destruction is actress Jessica Chastain who is so riveting, so icy, and so heartless--you come to understand why lobbying is a job her character is fit for. One thing that stands firm in the story is that every element of the government and its operations are inherently corrupt, conniving, backstabbing and filled with lies and liars who will do anything to be right. It's gross.

Lobbying is all about persuading those with the political and financial power to make things happen, but the film exaggerates the job and makes it seem more exciting and stylized than it is. That's unfortunate because the mundane life of a lobbyist at the intersection of sex and race, would have added a bit more realism and excitement to the story. These things are important and why Hollywood screenwriters keep avoiding it is beyond me.