Conclave film adaptation delivers chilling drama

(****)& If you told this twisted story at a cocktail party, everyone would be entranced.& They’d listen attentively, right up until the end with the big reveal. That’s when they’d drop their martini glasses, gasp and laugh at how providence has bigger plans for humanity than conniving men could ever fathom.& British writer Robert Harris started this yarn in 2016 with the release of his novel Conclave. A taut thriller/suspense/mystery set in the Vatican. The pope has died and the cardinals who surround him gather to elect a new leader of the Catholic faith. It won’t be a simple vote. Power, corruption, greed and betrayal are in the mix. God help everyone. Or at least smack the devious plotters down.& Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in Conclave.Now, this riveting film adaption raises the stakes, concocting an extraordinary drama/thriller worthy of Academy Awards for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Direction and countless acting awards. That’s because director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) pool their thoughtful, cunning and superb skills and the result is an incisive religious parable about those who connive. A cautionary tale for scammers and schemers.The Holy Father...