Though Michael Clayton never has a scene in a courtroom, the film is very reminiscent of the courtroom dramas that populated the film landscape in the 1970’s and ’80s. George Clooney, fresh off award winning performances in Good Night, and Good Luck and Syriana, plays Michael Clayton a lawyer who works as a “fixer” in a large New York City law firm, Kenner Bach. Michael’s the go to guy when the firms’ clients are in trouble. He has all the connections and knows where all the bodies are buried. Though he can fix any problem at the firm, his personal life is a mess. Divorced, he sees his young son on the weekends between urgent calls from work and drives him to school in the mornings. He’s in debt to loan sharks for a bar his alcoholic brother Timmy (David Landsbury) talked him into starting and he has a gambling problem.
In the midst of all this, Clayton is called in when Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), one of the firms best litigator’s stops taking his medicine for bipolar disorder. Edens has spent six years of his life–“six years scheming and stalling and screaming,” as he puts it–working for a single client, U/North, knee deep in a $3 billion lawsuit over its failure to follow safety regulations. Given Clayton’s own financial problems, quieting Arthur down might be Michael’s only way out of debt.
The only thing Clayton doesn’t count on is Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) the chief counsel at U/North and all around attack dog. She will stop at nothing to keep U/North’s hands clean. A smartly crafted scene in which Swinton painfully rehearses every answer, movement and nuance for a media interview tells us everything we need to know about her character’s mentality.
To understand the gripping action of Michael Clayton one need only look at the previous credits of writer/director Tony Gilroy. The first time director wrote the screenplays for Dolores Claiborne, Devil’s Advocate, Extreme Measures and the three Bourne films. With Michael Clayton, Gilroy successfully maintains the action in the film without sacrificing character development.
Michael Clayton is that rare film that combines a fabulous story with wonderful performances. George Clooney is perfect as Michael Clayton. He chews scenery when he needs to, but he has also mastered the art of subtlety. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the shot of Clooney’s face as the credits role says it all. Tom Wilkinson is simply brilliant as Arthur Edens. Is he really that crazy? Perhaps he sees everything with more clarity than everyone else. Tilda Swinton will make you squirm as she schemes, scratches and sweats (profusely) her way out of various problems. It’s always great to see actor/director Sydney Pollack on screen, who delivers a memorable performance as Kenner Bach head honcho, Marty Bach.
While the final message of Michael Clayton is left to the viewer, one thing is certain: Michael Clayton will put you on the edge of your seat, and keep you talking long after the film is over.
Michael Clayton is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the print transfer is simply fabulous. Robert Elswit’s incandescent cinematography is captured beautifully. The DVD doesn’t have much in the way of bonus material. A commentary by Tony Gilroy and his brother, Michael Clayton film editor John Gilroy, is lackluster and nothing great. The only other extra are three additional scenes lasting five minutes, 34 seconds. Commentary with the Gilroy brothers is optional.
Michael Clayton has been nominated for several 2008 Academy Awards. George Clooney is nominated for Best Actor for his role as Michael Clayton and the film has also earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
