We chose Clooney's latest effort for Tuesday night movie night and we were not disappointed.
Screenwriter Tony Gilroy makes his directorial debut with Michael Clayton. Who would've thought that a man who started his career with The Cutting Edge, a 1992 ice skating movie, would ultimately pen the Bourne trilogy and adult fare like Michael Clayton? Gilroy acquits himself well. The opening scenes grabbed me immediately--shots of the interior of law offices with narration from a character we don't even meet for another twenty minutes.
George Clooney heads a stellar cast as the title character, a seen-it-all former attorney who now acts as a fixer at a prestigious law firm. HIs latest problem involves lassoing in one of the firm's most successful lawyers, Arthur Edens, played by Tom Wilkinson (mark my words, a future Oscar nominee). Edens, a manic depressive, suddenly has a crisis of conscience while defending U/North, a chemical company accused of producing cancer-causing agents. The firm believes that Edens has stopped taking his medication and wants him committed, quickly and quietly. Michael Clayton's boss (the superb Sydney Pollack) sends him to keep a lid on the situation, but things become complicated. Actress/chameleon Tilda Swinton plays U/North's lead counsel who finds herself making some uncomfortable decisions. She doesn't trust Michael Clayton's ability to fix the problem so she takes matter into her own hands.
The storytelling is superb, the acting is top notch. Michael Clayton is a must-see.
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