People are voting emotionally.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I recall watching this series when it was first released, waiting eagerly for each instalment. The action was gripping, and was particularly suspenseful, with murder and intrigue around every corner.Yet another series that the US have tried to emulate with a White House drama equivalent. They are however, yet again, unable to match the quality of the original (and best) British drama.Masterful on every level

Almost twenty-five years on, House of Cards stands up well today. Thatcher has just left the government (which coincidentally happened just after episode 1 was screened) and likable if bland Henry Collingridge (David Lyon) has won the coveted Prime Minister job. Waiting in the wings is Chief Whip (the person who informs all the MP's of the party's policy and what vote they should cast on key issues) Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson). Though Urquhart seems old-fashioned and mild-mannered, like Iago he follows his master to serve his turn upon him. But Urquhart holds all the cards, knowing everything and everyone. He plots his ascent to the Prime Minister.Although it looks a bit stuffy and dated, this is thrilling stuff. The two-facedness of politics rings true today, as does the scandal (for example, one MP claims expenses for his coke habit). As others have noted, it has a Shakespearean tone to it. Urquhart is a modern day Richard III.The parallel is reflected in the affair Urquhart embarks on with ambitious young journalist/modern-day Lady Anne Mattie Storin (Susannah Harker, immediately recognisable to Pride and Prejudice fans as Jane Bennett). Mattie yearns to know what's going on behind closed doors and Urquhart realises that it would be handy to have a journalist on board. They begin a partnership that soon turns into...well, a partnership. The audience collectively gasp in horror at Mattie's fetish for him (as with Richard III, Urquhart is relatively unbothered by her- though even he is shocked at Mattie's overt Electra complex).Mattie may seem terribly weak to modern viewers as she repeatedly fails to see Urquhart's involvement in the scandals but she is blinded by her love of power. Urquhart fulfils both her fetish and desire for power. Also, as an intelligent man who would probably do a good job of ruling the country if he wasn't such a snake-in-the-grass, Mattie sees him as the last bit of hope for the government. It's a tough role but Harker bravely takes it on, showing Mattie as both strong and naive. Such complexities are what make interesting female characters.Of course as the actor with the plum role, Richardson is the star. He craftily does Shakespearean asides to the audience, which draws us into his scheming. Without these little winks, it just becomes the tale of a very unpleasant man. Richardson brings out the seductive appeal of Urquhart; an unlikely seductive figure as he looks about sixty and how we expect 'old boy' politicians to look. What is perversely seductive about Urquhart is his amorality and his power. Mattie is a necessary character because she serves to emphasise the aphrodisiacal nature of power. Though the male characters don't see it quite as an aphrodisiac, they let their guard down around it.I have not watched the U.S House of Cards yet but the original is the perfect length: four sixty-minute episodes. It's long enough for us to get a taste of Urquhart's evil without having to explain anything. Of course, with any show that relies upon evil plotting, suspension of disbelief is required. Richardson's ability to play Urquhart as 'normal' with an insidious desire for evil makes him more plausible than playing Urquhart as being Mr Lovely to the outside world and Mr Villain to the audience. We can believe such vile people exist in the government, confirming our distrust of politics.Where I worry about the U.S version is in its length. The longer you show us an evil figure, the more you have to explain things. We can enjoy four hours of someone being vile and despicable but to spend thirteen hours in their company, there's going to need to be a reason why they're like this. As soon as you start getting into character background, you remove the mystery- hence why at the end of Othello, Shakesspeare chooses to have Iago refuse to say another word (and keep to his promise) once he is confronted about his crimes.House of Cards is a pacy political thriller that feels like a sneaky backstage look into parliament and its workings. There's enough politics for it to be believable but not so much that it overwhelms the viewer. Mainly this is a tale of power and why people are so enthralled by it.

The public, be it in the United States, Europe or Britain, often see their political figures at press conferences or in front of large crowds offering endless platitudes through endless speeches. Occasionally, the public sees the interesting discourse which occurs during the Prime Ministers Questions in the British Parliament or the speeches made on the floor of the House or Senate in the United States. What the public doesn't see is the internal relationships between many of the key players, and how either great achievements or small missteps can either make or break promising careers. But most of all, we the public almost never hear the internal thoughts of political operatives.The BBC's "House of Cards" gives us something we probably will never be able to enjoy in real life: the actual thoughts of someone working within the most powerful circles in politics. Ian Richardson plays Francis Urquhart, the Whip of the British Conservative Party who has taken hold of Parliament and the seat of the Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher. In politics, "the Whip" is typically an informal position in party politics designed to keep other party members in bounds. He is there for counsel but also for discipline. From the very first, Urquhart speaks directly to us, an unseen constituency who has been privileged to hear what a leading politician really thinks about his fellow colleagues and even his thoughts about the system itself. While outwardly, Urquhart supports all the members of his party, inwardly he tells us his thoughts about all the contenders to leadership, including how he views the present Prime Minister Henry Collingridge.Urquhart desires to influence the highest levels of his political party but seems uninterested in attaining the position of Prime Minister. As the Whip of his party, he must not only keep all elected party members in line but enact damage control if any member involves him or herself in behavior which could escalate into a scandal. To help, he allies himself with a young but precocious journalist, Mattie Storin, played brilliantly by Susannah Harker. The party Whip and the journalist form a strange but trust-worthy bond, a relationship almost like an uncle and niece. Urquhart believes by trusting someone in the press, he can at least have some influence on how the press handles the inner-workings and dealings in Parliament, be they success or failures.Most of the series involves the many behind-the-scenes shenanigans the public rarely sees, let alone knows about. While politicians always present a facade of cool confidence and determination, we see the men behind the curtains. Their weaknesses, doubts, and hypocrisies are laid bare as if we, the audience, have been allowed to sneak inside the corridors of power. For example, a party member is caught using party funds for a cocaine habit. The Whip decides to use political black-mail to acquire his full political support. In exchange he expunges his financial record but threatens exposure if the member/addict ever breaks out of line. Things begin to heat up when the journalist learns that private research reveals the Conversative Party is in trouble with the public and must decide if there will be an internal coup d'etat.A thoroughly compelling, excellently acted series which paved the way for the West Wing almost 10 years later. However, unlike "the West Wing", the main players are revealed as being all-too human. The Prime Minister has his doubts in the face of dwindling public support which is fueled by the exposure of a scandal. And the Whip begins to realize, partly with the help of the young journalist, that he may be underrating his own leadership qualities. If there is anything we can glean from "House of Cards", it is as the title suggests. Politics is a house of cards, a game of subtlety, delicacy and intense strategy. Players must make their moves slowly, with precision and deftness. Well-thought-out moves can not only help the party but help the country. Hasty and ill-conceived moves can hurt party reputation and lead to losing elections. At any moment, if not played right, the cards will topple.

I'm a sucker for both British television and political thrillers in general. So having heard much about this miniseries, the first of a trilogy of miniseries's, I have been looking forward to seeing this for some time. Having seen it, I found that my expectations have not only been reached but surpassed as well. House Of Cards is one of the finest examples of the political thriller that you are likely to see anywhere.If there is any single element that makes this miniseries as much of a success as it is, it is lead character, Francis Urquhart as played by actor Ian Richardson. Richardson plays Urquhart as a modern day (modern day being an alternate version of late 1980's or early 1990's UK) version of Shakespeare's Richard III. Urquhart is a man who,as the Chief Whip who feels unappreciated by the Prime Minister he helped to elect, sets out to bring down the Prime Minister, and then take the job of for himself. Like Richard III, Urquhart does this by laying out traps, rumors and blackmail while all the while delivering soliloquies to the audience relaying them to us the viewer. For all intents and purposes, Urquhart is a man we should hate as he does all of those things. Yet it is Richardson makes this work incredibly well and makes Urquhart a man who is ruthless yet immensely charming and likable nonetheless. It is a compliment to Richardson and his skills that he can make it all work, especially the soliloquies, while being evil yet charming all at the same time.Backing Richardson is a fine supporting cast as well. There's Diane Fletcher as Urquhart's wife who, like Lady Macbeth, pushed her husband and his plans along which makes her a character that is almost as fascinating as her husband. There's Susannah Harker as the young, attractive reporter Mattie Storin who begins using Urquhart as a source before they start going in a dangerous direction which leads to an incredible finale. There's Miles Anderson as Roger O'Neill and Alphonsia Emmanuel as his girlfriend Penny Guy who both end up snared by Urquhart's traps and end up victims of that. There's Colin Jeavons as Urquhart's protégé Tim Stamper who has a marvelously sleazy feel to him. Last but not least there's David Lyon as the targeted Prime Minister Henry Collingridge and James Villiers as his brother Charles, who end's up being part of Urquhart's plans. Theses are only a few of those amongst others in what is a fine cast backing a great leading man.House Of Cards is also blessed with fine production values as well. There's some fine production design by Ken Ledsham who creates the worlds ranging from the Houses of Parliament, 10 Downing Street, press rooms and beyond. There's the cinematography of Jim Fyans and Ian Punter which brings a fine sense of atmosphere and shadows to the world of the miniseries. There's also the music by Jim Parker, especially with the main title and end title pieces which serve as a perfect start and closing to the four episodes of the miniseries. All of this, under the direction of Paul Seed, makes for some fine production values to the miniseries.Last but not least is the script. Andrew Davies adapts Michael Dobbs novel into a fine political thriller about the effect of power on one man and how far he will go to gain power. There is a definite Richard III vibe running throughout the entire miniseries as Urquhart decides to seize power and begins to lay plans to do so. As a consequence, the plot can get fairly complex at time with Urquhart playing numerous plans at once which will require the viewer to pay just a bit more then perhaps they usually would. Also, Davies knows how to write fine dialogue especially for Urquhart including the famous line "You may think that, but I couldn't possibly comment." The script never fails to deliver right up to the shocking finale.House Of Cards is a fine example of what the political thriller can be. From the performance of Ian Richardson as Urquhart, the performances of the supporting cast, good production values and a fantastic script as well. It is a complex story with a complex protagonist that takes a look at power and its ability to corrupt and how far one will go to achieve it and is a fine one at that.