In theaters. Rated R, 120 minutes. Trailer. 
"The whole concept of billing by the hour can be cankerous on your soul. You compare everything in your life to the value of your time if you were practicing law. So you say to yourself, 'Why should I mow the yard if it will take me two hours, which I bill at $300 an hour? Why not just hire someone to mow my yard or coach my kid's soccer team?' You wind up putting little value on the things most human beings enjoy doing."
Michael Clayton is a tight and mature legal thriller starring George Clooney, Sydney Pollack, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Wilkinson. Written and directed by Tony Gilroy (Bourne scribe), the film is enjoyable, challenging and effective.
Clayton is a fixer at a large and prestigious law firm. He is an attorney, but operates in the shadows as a 'janitor' cleaning up messes for the firm's clients. As with most attorneys, his job is immensely unsatisfying. He is treated poorly by his clients, his bosses, and his hours ruin his family. Michael gets a call that one of the firms senior partners has gone mad during a deposition in Milwaukee, and he heads off to handle the situation. The attorney, played by Wilkinson, has been defending a large company (UNorth) against an Erin Brockovich type 3 billion dollar class action lawsuit, and has basically snapped after the years of destroying families. Wilkinson can't be handled, and goes off the grid setting up the rest of the film. I won't spoil the plot with further details, but the remainder is a morality tale about selling out a little bit at a time.
The film has several great performances, led by Tilda Swinton. 
Her sad general counsel character loses her moral compass with a happy face, and anchors the deeper impact of the film - I expect her to be among the best supporting actress nominees. Watching her prepare for her interview while getting ready, and talking about work/life 'balance' is agonizing and really gets at the human condition for any professional. Clooney is great as Clayton, who lacks any of Clooney's natural charm and affability. His face transmits the intensity and tumult under the surface. Wilkinson and Pollack are great, as usual - the two of them don't turn in bad performances.
There was some discussion in the reviews about the film being hard to follow. It is written at a college level, but I wasn't lost even for a second (whereas Syriana made me dizzy the first time I saw it). The film succeeds as a thriller and a legal drama, and gets an A- for its points on selling out. The dialogue is extremely satisfying for its maturity and long sentences and complex thoughts, as well as its wit. Clayton sells out and then is redeemed, same for Wilkinson, while other pay the ultimate price for it. The quote at the beginning of the review is from this article on lawyer dissatisfaction, and it sums up the underlying theme of the film.
Favorite line, delivered by Pollack: "(pointing to the object of his sentence) He's an asshole. And he knows it."
Monday, October 22, 2007
Michael Clayton - A-
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3 comments:
Sorry Priest. You called this one, but I couldn't resist with the lawyer angle. Feel free to post an alternate review...
you're absolutly right about how wonderful swintons interview preparation scenes are.
i thought wilkinson's character was by far the standout to me...i thought he was excellent.
and you're absolutly right...it's definitly not complicated or head spinning like Syriana was. Gilroy wrote a tight script.
no apologies necessary. i've screwed around for days and not written the review-- primarily because i was mulling it over. originally, i was going to give it a b+, which i noted in a response to a different review. the problem i had with it was that i wasn't sure what the point really was. (potential spoiler alert) is clooney redeemed? does he sell his own firm after receiving their money, making the time of his change of heart awfully convenient? i thought it was a marvelously acted, written, and directed film, but i was struggling with its ultimate meaning. anyway, it's since moved to an A for me. here's why: there's a moment when clooney realizes that he is his brother. his brother is addicted to alcohol. he's addicted to gambling. he's told his son, in my favorite film in the movie, that his son won't be like his uncle. that he's stronger than that. of course, he's also saying he won't be like him. and you wonder what moved clooney from a hotshot in the DA's office to a fixer. a fixer who can't even fix his own situation at the moment. his brother's addiction ruined clayton financially, but the second he's got a couple bucks in his pocket he goes back to the tables. still, before he gambles them away, he realizes that he doesn't have to and, in my opinion, forgives his brother (and, in so doing, himself). and he changes. when he leaves that gambling table, he's looking to fix a larger problem and a larger injustice. but the film doesn't spell it all out for you, just like life. it's not in the business of telling you the inner thoughts of characters. you've got to piece it together. the ambiguity that originally bothered me eventually pushed me to love this film.
having said that, this is the best i've seen clooney. it would be easy to play this character with charm but, as you mention, he doesn't. when he gets out of his car to look at those horses, you see fear and doubt in his face. he should be considered for an oscar for that close-up of his face as the credits are rolling. not sure what's next. not sure what his options are.
also, a special shout-out to costume designer Sarah Edwards. the oscars in this category rightfully usually go to period pieces or fantasy work, but this one ought to get consideration. every character tells a story through their clothing, from the cop brother's every man wal-mart gear, to clooney's meticulous suits. a pretty close to perfectly made film.
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