The excitement of chess in a book!
October 7, 2008 7:07 PM Subscribe
Help me satisfy my craving for Macbeth-like intrigue.
Please give me films or novels with plots of political intrigue. The type of characters I am looking for are like those in Macbeth. Good examples would be Ghost in the Shell SAC2 with Goda, or the Star Wars prequels with the Emperor, and maybe James Clavell's Shogun.
I tend to dislike anything with deus ex machina or plot twists. The plots should unfold like a good chess match.
Please give me films or novels with plots of political intrigue. The type of characters I am looking for are like those in Macbeth. Good examples would be Ghost in the Shell SAC2 with Goda, or the Star Wars prequels with the Emperor, and maybe James Clavell's Shogun.
I tend to dislike anything with deus ex machina or plot twists. The plots should unfold like a good chess match.
John Le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and its sequels, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People.
On a smaller scale, Rats In The Ranks.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 7:23 PM on October 7, 2008
On a smaller scale, Rats In The Ranks.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 7:23 PM on October 7, 2008
Sounds like you should be watching "Death Note".
A boxed set of the first season will become available a bit before Thanksgiving.
posted by Class Goat at 7:24 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
A boxed set of the first season will become available a bit before Thanksgiving.
posted by Class Goat at 7:24 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
The plots should unfold like a good chess match.
Fresh (1994)?
posted by mandal at 7:36 PM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
Fresh (1994)?
posted by mandal at 7:36 PM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
You may very well like House of Cards (and its sequels), but I couldn't possibly comment.
posted by Zonker at 7:39 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Zonker at 7:39 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Dang, tons of thanks to everyone so far. Those are some awesome suggestions, none of which I've seen.
posted by FuManchu at 8:19 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by FuManchu at 8:19 PM on October 7, 2008
The Lion in Winter. Peter O'Toole is King Henry II, trying to decide which of his 3 sons he'll give the kingdom to. Amazing dialog.
posted by Hildago at 8:19 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Hildago at 8:19 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
The Manchurian Candidate, the original, of course.
All the President's Men. Book and Movie.
The Parallax View
JFK. In fact, I found the Kennedy Assassination to be ripe with political intrigue whether you buy into the conspiracy theory or not.
Crossfire and Case Closed would be a good point:counterpoint on whether there was a conspiracy.
posted by cjets at 8:22 PM on October 7, 2008
All the President's Men. Book and Movie.
The Parallax View
JFK. In fact, I found the Kennedy Assassination to be ripe with political intrigue whether you buy into the conspiracy theory or not.
Crossfire and Case Closed would be a good point:counterpoint on whether there was a conspiracy.
posted by cjets at 8:22 PM on October 7, 2008
If you don't mind classic films, how about "Day of the Jackal"?
Edward Fox is awesome as the assassin.
posted by Class Goat at 8:22 PM on October 7, 2008
Edward Fox is awesome as the assassin.
posted by Class Goat at 8:22 PM on October 7, 2008
All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren -- perhaps the best political novel ever written. Possibly a little out of genre for you, but it's really quite wonderful, and I remain evangelistic about it after many many readings.
posted by LucretiusJones at 8:39 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by LucretiusJones at 8:39 PM on October 7, 2008
Response by poster: Adding in some other ideas I was reminded of:
Shakespeare's King Lear
Kurosawa's Ran and Throne of Blood
Also, I'm less interested in the conspiracy stuff. I'd like the evil doers just to be thinking ahead and using better strategy than the heros, rather than an omniscient we-actually-planned-it-all-from-the-beginning opponent.
posted by FuManchu at 8:39 PM on October 7, 2008
Shakespeare's King Lear
Kurosawa's Ran and Throne of Blood
Also, I'm less interested in the conspiracy stuff. I'd like the evil doers just to be thinking ahead and using better strategy than the heros, rather than an omniscient we-actually-planned-it-all-from-the-beginning opponent.
posted by FuManchu at 8:39 PM on October 7, 2008
George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Lots of political intrigue and no convenient endings.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 8:40 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by Solon and Thanks at 8:40 PM on October 7, 2008
"The Player" (Robert Altman movie)
"Dune" (the novel)
"Nixon" (Oliver Stone movie)
posted by philip-random at 9:17 PM on October 7, 2008
"Dune" (the novel)
"Nixon" (Oliver Stone movie)
posted by philip-random at 9:17 PM on October 7, 2008
I normally wouldn't push science fiction on you for a question like this, but since you used Star Wars as an example, I assume Sci Fi is kosher.
Try the Miles Vorkosigan series (of novels) by Lois McMaster Bujold. Lots of political intrigue.
posted by mmoncur at 10:51 PM on October 7, 2008
Try the Miles Vorkosigan series (of novels) by Lois McMaster Bujold. Lots of political intrigue.
posted by mmoncur at 10:51 PM on October 7, 2008
David Wingrove's Chung Kuo series has some intricate political maneuvering. They're not super well written or anything, and I vaguely remember the ending being awful (it's been a while since I read them), but I also do remember liking the first book a fair bit.
posted by juv3nal at 10:52 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by juv3nal at 10:52 PM on October 7, 2008
(er...by "ending" I mean the last book, not the end of the first book)
posted by juv3nal at 10:54 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by juv3nal at 10:54 PM on October 7, 2008
Season Three of The Wire? IMHO the Stringer-Avon intrigue definitely qualifies.. I guess you might want to see S1 and S2 to fill everything in, though not absolutely necessary.
Jean-Pierre Melville might be your cup of tea - Le Samourai, Le cercle rouge.
posted by citron at 11:12 PM on October 7, 2008
Jean-Pierre Melville might be your cup of tea - Le Samourai, Le cercle rouge.
posted by citron at 11:12 PM on October 7, 2008
I, Claudius is chock full of ambition, maneuvering, and murder.
posted by fleacircus at 12:01 AM on October 8, 2008
posted by fleacircus at 12:01 AM on October 8, 2008
Science fiction was deemed kosher by mmoncur.
I propose therefore
Terry Pratchetts discworld novel "Wyrd Sisters"
Its a giggle too.
posted by jan murray at 12:06 AM on October 8, 2008
I propose therefore
Terry Pratchetts discworld novel "Wyrd Sisters"
Its a giggle too.
posted by jan murray at 12:06 AM on October 8, 2008
The Name of the Rose
posted by Daily Alice at 4:28 AM on October 8, 2008
posted by Daily Alice at 4:28 AM on October 8, 2008
The Lion in Winter. Peter O'Toole is King Henry II, trying to decide which of his 3 sons he'll give the kingdom to. Amazing dialog.
Strongly seconding this. Completely engrossing.
posted by vacapinta at 5:56 AM on October 8, 2008
Strongly seconding this. Completely engrossing.
posted by vacapinta at 5:56 AM on October 8, 2008
For epic level I would suggest the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It is complex and you may need notes to get a better view of context. A highly influential novel that winds it way from the intimate to the greater sweep of historic forces. I liked its complexity better than Tale of the Heike or the personal politics in Tale of Genji.
posted by jadepearl at 7:53 AM on October 8, 2008
posted by jadepearl at 7:53 AM on October 8, 2008
Whoa-ho, Deadwood! Deadwood, Deadwood, Deadwood. Though you may have to watch the episodes more than once to fully digest the mile-a-minute political machinations implicit in the show's brilliantly profane, Shakespeare-meets-saloon dialect.
Less of a dead ringer, but still a show full of intrigue in which the ostensible bad guys are using better strategy than the ostensible good ones, is The Wire. And at least there you get a show that HBO didn't shamefully cancel before its time.
posted by Beardman at 11:03 AM on October 8, 2008
Less of a dead ringer, but still a show full of intrigue in which the ostensible bad guys are using better strategy than the ostensible good ones, is The Wire. And at least there you get a show that HBO didn't shamefully cancel before its time.
posted by Beardman at 11:03 AM on October 8, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jhighmore at 7:22 PM on October 7, 2008