Synopsis

Michael Clayton is a lawyer who specializes in loop holes. His firm calls him in when a client needs to get out of trouble in any way possible. In this movie we meet him at a cross-roads, as he's begun to ask himself some difficult questions about his life. Then a colleague suffers an emotional collapse that jeopardizes a big-money corporate law suit, and Clayton finds himself playing an important role in a series of startling events that he can't control.

Pros:

• Great direction and a stellar script.


• All the performances are strong.


• A believable, powerful conclusion.

Cons:

• You have GOT to pay attention to this film. That's not really a "con" at all, but some viewers might find the movie frustrating.


• One or two scenes were a bit too conventional for an otherwise original film.

Generally:

4 on a 5 scale. Much, much better than I had expected.

Extended Review:

I simply had no intentions of seeing Michael Clayton. A number of things sent up red flags for me about the movie. All the big-time Hollywood critics loved it, and it's often a bad sign when they fawn over a movie using keywords such as "corporate America," "crisis of conscience" and "George Clooney."

I've been inoculated to seeing flimsy movies that are really little more than thinly veiled left-wing sermons. You see, In the past I've let liberal film critics lead me astray on more than one occasion. I've sat through holier-than-thou, high minded leftist crap such as The Contender and The Dead Poet's Society and Brokeback Mountain. The critics praised 'em, I watched 'em, and then I felt robbed of money and time. Those aren't movies, they're left-wing screeds with sloppy, pseudo-narratives thrown in to justify their existence.*

So I've learned the signs and memorized the red-flag words, and it was a safe bet that Michael Clayton was just this year's Syriana. That is to say, a piece of hollow propaganda with no redeeming qualities.

But then a film-reviewer who's opinion I've come to value praised the film, and I gave it a second thought. Tonight, after having actually watched Michael Clayton, I find myself ready to admit that it's a fine, smart, worthwhile piece of cinema. It's a movie ... an honest-to-goodness movie ... heck, it's even one of the better ones from last year ... and it's well worth your time.

There is much to recommend Michael Clayton. The screenplay and direction (both by Tony Gilroy) are tight as a drum. There's hardly a wasted scene, there isn't one dead-end development, there's not a single superfluous line of dialogue. As a matter of fact, if you (like me) have gotten lazy because of movies that hand every story progression to you on a silver platter, consider yourself warned: This movie demands that you pay attention. Be sure and hit the pause button if you dash to the kitchen for a Coke.

Thankfully, Gilroy's actors rise to the challenges of his script. George Clooney, in the title role, gives one of his typical Clooney-esque performances. But this is a role that calls for a Clooney-esque performance. Clayton is a guy who has gone about as far as good looks and charm can take him, and is now just beginning to realize that somewhere along the way he forgot to do anything substantial with his life. One scene in particular, involving a conversation between Clayton and his young son about Clayton's layabout brother, might be the best single scene in Clooney's career.

Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack are good, too. But Tom Wilkinson nearly steals the entire movie from all of them as Arthur Edens, a bi-polar corporate lawyer who experiences a moment of clarity so sharp and painful that it causes him a nervous breakdown. Tom Wilkinson has been very good in everything he's done this decade ... from In The Bedroom to Batman Begins to The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. With Michael Clayton he's really solidified my opinion of him as one of the best actors working today.

There are a couple of predictable moments. I saw a certain "bet you're surprised to see me alive" scene coming a mile away, and a couple of scenes involving two hired guns seemed a little implausible to me. But even those elements are slight complaints compared to how much Michael Clayton does well. I brushed the mild flaws off and the movie made them up to me readily.

Over the last few years there has been a flood of liberal movies. I've learned to sniff 'em out, and I stayed away from films like Lions For Lambs and and Rendition and Good Night And Good Luck and on and on and on. Those movies tanked at the box office and I felt validated. But I blew the call with Michael Clayton. This isn't a screed, this is a tight, smart, thoughtful film. If you appreciate that kind of thing, you'll enjoy this movie.

Trailer:

---

* - I'm not opposed to movies with liberal messages on principle. I can name a number of liberal films that I've loved, including Dr. Strangelove, Dead Man Walking, Norma Rae, Apocalypse Now, and Dances With Wolves. But when a movie has an insultingly bad plot and clearly exists just to advance a political position, I always feel ripped off. I'd feel the same way about preachy conservative films ... if there were such a thing.

Labels: Movie Reviews, Movies, Politics