Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow jostle for the Vatican’s top job.

For his follow-up to the award-winning 2022 adaptation of “All Quiet On The Western Front”, Edward Berger takes us to another kind of battlefield, one with far less bloodshed but a comparable degree of viciousness. “Conclave” follows the closely-guarded process by which the Catholic College of Cardinals elects the Church’s new Pope – a ritual that here entails backstabbing, juicy plot twists and the downfall of more than one prominent clergyman. Based on the 2016 Robert Harris novel, this thriller works best as a pulpy page-turner starring Ralph Fiennes as an honourable Cardinal trying to keep the conclave running smoothly, all the while strategizing to ensure that his preferred candidate wins.

Tim Grierson, Screen International