Meryl Streep delivers a remarkable performance in a greatest hits package on the life and times of the notorious Margret Thatcher, aka The Iron Lady.

Certain world leaders will always cause debate and friction. Nixon. Blair. Howard. Yet Margret Thatcher is the queen that trumps them all.

Creating an objective biopic of Thatcher was always going to be a tricky proposition. Her opponents will balk at any attempt to humanise the conservative leader. Meanwhile, her proponents…actually, does anyone have the guts to stand by her legacy?

Never the less, director Phyllida Lloyd has done a solid job in presenting the woman behind the hard line decisions and she does so by inhabiting the Iron Lady with the majestic queen of cinema: Meryl Streep.

Streep’s performance is not only the drawcard to The Iron Lady, but is also its saviour. With the aid of very impressive make up effects (courtesy of J. Roy Helland) we first meet Thatcher while she lives her twilight years in seclusion and grieving the loss of her husband Denis (Jim Broadbent).

It is at this point that ever reliable biopic device of  “the flashback” is utilised, as we are shown Thatcher grow from a determined young conservative (Alexandra Roach) to the first female British Prime Minister battling the IRA, unions, Argentinians over the Falkland islands and finally, treachery in her own ranks.

Throughout Lloyd uses the feminist hero perspective to sell Thatcher’s story and with good reason. Politics is still is a man’s world and Thatcher broke down doors as a woman of no compromise.

Less effective is the sub-plot focusing on Thacther’s grief over her husband’s death, as the older version battles with hallucinations and an unwillingness to let go of her dear Denis. Many emotional moments present themselves but don’t hit the mark as they should, proving to be more of a distraction than an addition to the proceedings.

While these moments don’t gel, the performances within them are never the less impressive. Broadbent is good fun as the comical and slightly annoying Denis, yet this is the Meryl Streep show and she nails her portrayal of Thatcher, capturing the ambition, quick wit and ruthlessness that the great conservative leader was known for.

Yes, the framework of the film is old hat with the exception of some visual flourishes. Sure, the depiction of the politics presented may not please hard-line anti-Thatcher individuals (of which there are many).

But the performance which Streep delivers cannot be faulted in any way. If it’s the Streep factor that pulled you in to watch The Iron Lady, you will not be disappointed.

Watch Streep receive her gazillionth Oscar nomination come awards time. Well deserved, too.