rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2007
Directed by Tony Gilroy; produced by Jennifer Fox, Kerry Orent, Sydney Pollack, Steve Samuels; written by Tony Gilroy
Starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Michael O'Keefe, Denis O'Hare
'Michael Clayton', again, shows George Clooney as a terrific actor, and, more importantly, how he is able to choose his projects. Since 'Out of Sight' (Steven Soderbergh, 1998) he has starred in good or great films, with the occasional failed but definitely interesting attempt. First time helmer Tony Gilroy handles his own writing with care. We may have seen this story many times before, seldom it is done as good as in 'Michael Clayton'.
Clooney, in the title role, is first seen in a poker game. His phone rings. He is called away to a client. After an argument he drives for a while, parks his car, steps out and walks a little. His car explodes. We shift to four days earlier. Michael Clayton, we learn, is not really an attorney, but a fixer, called in to fix things many would not even want to touch. He has quite some personal problems, including a big debt caused by a now alienated brother. His boss is Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack), playing a significant role in the development of the story.
Michael's major case here involves master attorney Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), who suddenly feels guilty about the things done by the company he represents. He goes close to nuts and is about to spoil the case. Litigator Karen Crowder's (Tilda Swinton) career depends on the success in this case and she does anything to win it. Arthur, good friends with Michael, is playing a dangerous game here, and Michael has to choose which side he is eventually on.
I guess this sounds familiar. A lot of legal thrillers contain elements of this story and especially the ending... well, even the characters comment on how cliché it is. But I do not mean this as a bad thing. Most clichés are exactly that because they are true, and when it comes to fiction like this, some outcomes are only logical. Overall the writing is very intelligent, not just the main story, but the dialogue and smaller but very logical moments as well. Even with many sub-plots and supporting characters, Gilroy is able to keep things clear for the viewer.
Clooney, Wilkinson, Swinton and Pollack do a tremendous job in bringing their characters to life. They are a reliable bunch of actors and here they give some of their finest performances, especially in scenes with eachother. Without them 'Michael Clayton' could have been just another thriller. Now it is one of the best films of the year.