RUNNING TIME: 2 hr.
RATING: R - language including some sexual
dialogue
CAST: George Clooney, Tom
Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Michael O'Keefe
DIRECTOR: Tony Gilroy
GENRE: Thriller, Paranoid
Thriller
Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton is
what we need more of – good movies that draw you in from the first credit and
stay with you long after you’ve left the theater.
Michael Clayton (George Clooney)
is a “fixer” at a huge law firm in New York. What Harvey Keitel did illegally
in Pulp Fiction, Michael does and gets paid for it. Legally. Sort of. A former prosecutor, he is
broke from a restaurant failure, in debt to a bookie, has a drugged out
brother who steals from his sister and a son who tries to bond with him but never quite succeeds.
He’s 45 with no hope and just coasting along, robotically fixing others’ dirty secrets and problems.
He’s burned out, wants out but has no way out.
On the other side of the country,
in-house chief counsel Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) is a rising star at
multi-billion dollar agrochemical company U/North. Her meteoric rises however
rests on a settlement suit that Clayton’s law firm is leading to a successful
conclusion.
Well, until the firm’s top
litigator, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown during a deposition and
takes his clothes off.
When Arthur decides to sabotage the case, Marty Bach (the always great Sydney Pollack) sends in Michael to stop him before the case becomes a disaster. As Michael gets deeply involved, he comes face-to-face with who he is. And he doesn't like what he sees.
Tony Gilroy knows how to make
highly intelligent thrillers that are rousing crowd pleasers. The writer of one
of my favorite movies of the year – The Bourne Ultimatum, Gilroy has crafted
what will probably end up on my geeky top ten list. There are no cheap thrills
or ridiculous twists here. It almost feels a like a throwback to the thrillers
from the 70s.
George Clooney is so so good and
deserves a nomination for this role. George, you are forgiven for Batman and
Robin. This is a slam-dunk performance. Stay through the end credits (I’m not
giving anything away here) to watch his face as the credits flash on next to
him. He’s a hero but he is a battered hero. But he gets his wish - he’s out. Or
is he. There’s a scene early on where he stops to look at three horses. What a
magnificent silent performance.
Tilda Swinton (who I have never
seen in anything) as Karen Crowder plays corporate America to a tee, down to
her slight paunch that she is trying to lose in the movie. She is scared and
tough simultaneously and ultimately foolish in the choices she makes. I love
how she carefully prepares for each meeting and speech. She tries to come off
so strong where she is just a scared child.
And then there is Tom Wilkinson.
He is an amazing actor. Is his Arthur crazy or just been driven to insanity by
witnessing what he has become? We’re not quite sure but we are rooting for him.
The supporting cast, including
Pollack, Ken Howard and Michael O’Keefe is top notch.
This is a movie about trying to
atone for one’s sins. Sometimes we can. Sometimes it’s too late. I really
didn’t want this movie to end.
FIVE BALL POINT PENS.