In "The Iron Lady," one of the world's greatest actresses returns with one of her most challenging and breathtaking performances. Here she plays Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and one of the more polarizing political figures of all time.

As such, creating an objective biopic of Thatcher was always going to be a tricky proposition. Going into "The Iron Lady," filmmakers had to realize that her opponents would balk at any attempt to humanize the conservative leader. Meanwhile, her proponents would find it hard to bear a brash critique.

Those challenges aside, director Phyllida Lloyd has done an earnest, engaging job in presenting the woman behind the hard-line decisions. Her secret weapon is Streep, who stirs within this powerful archetype a surprising amount of emotion and empathy. Here is a historical figure with a far more complicated heart than we expect. Streep's performance is not only the standout in "The Iron Lady," but also its savior - the true reason to see this overhyped drama.

We first meet Thatcher in her twilight years, as she lives alone in seclusion, mourning the loss of her husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent). Via flashback, we travel back in time, as Thatcher grows from a determined young conservative (Alexandra Roach) to become the first female British prime minister battling the IRA, unions, Argentinians over the Falkland islands and finally, treachery in her own ranks.

In many ways, Thatcher is a feminist hero, and "The Iron Lady" helps us to appreciate that. Politics is still is a man's world, and Thatcher broke down doors and shattered ceilings as a woman who refused to compromise. What's less effective about the film is the depiction of Thatcher's grief over her husband - in sequences that tend to run a tad too long, with a tad too much repetition.

Yet while the basic structure of the film is predictable, and the emotional arc overblown, it's Streep's performance that demands to be seen. Stoic, resolute, defensive and timeless, this big-screen personality rises to the likes of Patton. A caricature that offers you insight into a soul - a fictional depiction that somehow cuts straight through to the heart of the matter. Don't be surprised if Streep takes home Oscar gold.

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