Michael Clayton
cast and direction a sure thing
2007-10-05
By Sergio Mims
CAST:
George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton
Sydney Pollack
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY:
Tony Gilroy
RATED R
***1/2
Polished and burnished, solidly well crafted, deliberately paced and a perfect example of old fashioned Hollywood professionalism, Michael Clayton is a refreshing throwback to those middle-aged-guy-in-a-personal-crisis movies that were so popular during the 70’s, such as John Avildsen’s Save The Tiger, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and, especially, Sidney Lumet’s The Verdict. In fact, like Paul Newman’s character in that film, Michael Clayton, with its centerpiece performance by George Clooney as the title character, is a legal thriller whose protagonist is at the end of his rope.
Burned out, tired, riddled with self loathing and struggling with a massive debt from a foolish, failed restaurant venture with his drug-addicted brother, Clayton is, the “fixer” for a large corporate law firm -- the type of guy the firm’s very important clients call on to discreetly get them out of embarrassing (and frequently criminal situations). In the midst of his personal woes the firm approaches him with a major problem they need straightened out.
Their top litigator, Arthur Edens (Wilkinson), suffers a major mental breakdown in the middle of a disposition for a case against U North, an international corporation and major client of the firm. The plaintiffs claim that the company’s weed killer caused serious illnesses and deaths. Clayton eventually discovers that Edens has found evidence that U North knew about the risks of the product and has now switched sides working for the plaintiffs. This results in hidden secrets revealed, loyalties betrayed, alliances destroyed and the occasional cutthroat maneuver.
In his first time out as director, Clayton’s screenwriter Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter of the Bourne spy thriller series, shows that he’s more versatile than just action thrillers and has learned a thing or two working with directors on how to make a film. Gilroy takes risks with his film’s disjointed opening sequence, but his sense of narrative structure is strong and sure.
Clooney abandons his usual glib routine and gives a surprisingly committed and at times intense performance as Clayton. Far removed from his overrated, bland performance in Syriana it’s as if Clooney has set out to prove that he’s the real deal, giving a vivid portrayal as a man stuck in a classic dilemma of morality over personal gain. Both Sydney Pollack as the smarmy head of the law firm and Tilda Swinton as the wound up legal council for U North are terrific. But Wilkerson is a particular stand out as the sad, frantic and ultimately heroic lawyer who proves that there is, literally, a method to his madness.
In the end Michael Clayton, if not exactly reaching the exalted levels of Lumet’s brilliant The Verdict, comes very close and showcases an exciting new directing talent in Gilroy, definitely a talent to be reckoned with.
Sergio Mims covers all things film from the city that works, Chicago.