Michael Clayton

Synopsis: Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a "fixer" for a major New York law firm, discretely cleaning up the mess that their well-heeled corporate clients get themselves into. It's dirty work, his personal life is a mess and he wants out but a run of bad luck is conspiring to keep him shackled to that way of life. When his friend and colleague, Arthur (Tom Wilkinson), who has been working for years fighting a class action against one of their biggest clients, flips his wig, Michael is called in to put things right.

We are well used to left-liberal Hollywood film stars signing up to popcorn blockbusters in order to finance their more specialized projects and I thoroughly expected Michael Clayton to be of this stripe. So, hey ho, it was a pleasant surprise to find that this intelligent thriller has enough high moral ground and slow-burn tension to be well-worth seeing on the big screen.

The directorial debut of screenwriter Tony Gilroy (who penned all three Bourne films), it is tautly scripted with plenty of demand made upon the audience to engage with the fast-paced, intricate but credible plot. Yes, perhaps in its latter stages its merits do get slightly shaken by the diegetic onrush of the narrative but by this time you so want Michael to win and the bad guys to go down that the sacrifice is but a small one.

Aside from the directorial tautness of the film, which always looks good thanks to the fine work of cinematographer Robert Elswit (who worked with Clooney on Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck) and its absorbing plot, a key strength of the film is it characterizations and fine performances by the three leads. Gilroy skilfully creates his characters through their actions rather than by laboured description. Clayton is pretty much defined in the opening scene when we find him in a low gambling den toying with his demons, Tilda Swinton's Karen Crowder when we see her carefully laying out her power wardrobe. The moral crisis that these two are swept up in and that forms the crux of the film occurs when Arthur finally draws a line in the sand on gutter-crawling and self-seeking conformity. Once again, Gilroy shows flair by not turning this into a self-righteous anti-corporate tract, even weaving a little metaphysics into a story that has us rooting for the good guy.

Clooney is excellent as the man on the edge, smart enough to know that he's beat but not knowing what to do next. Swinton is brilliant as the career woman who has staked all on her ability to play the corporate game and Tom Wilkinson does a very nice turn as a loon who is not so loony after all. Undoubtedly Gilroy's film will be too demanding for a multiplex audience and the flurry of ticket sales to fans of the Ocean's franchise will dry up quite soon. So don't be misled by the Clooney-centric publicity, Michael Clayton is a cracking thriller that will reward your attention.

 

 

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