Michael Clayton Film Review

This week we take a look at the legal thriller, Michael Clayton ( R). In the movie, George Clooney stars as the aforementioned Mr. Clayton, a lawyer known for his ability to “fix” difficult situations. Clooney is called into repair a situation involving a billion dollar class action lawsuit against a chemical company. Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack co-star in the movie. The film is written and directed by Tony Gilroy.

Ryan: Every headline I read or every commercial I see pretty much says the same thing about this movie--“Michael Clayton is a smart legal thriller.” I completely agree with that statement but would take it one step further by declaring it to be one of the best films of the year. Michael Clayton is a riveting legal thriller with outstanding performances. First time director, Tony Gilory, should be applauded for not only bringing out solid performances from his cast but also for his directing. The movie moves along at a snappy, on-the-edge-of-your-seat pace that simply is not seen from most cerebral cinematic thrillers.

Andy: I'll play along here; Michael Clayton is a smart legal thriller. It is not often that a movie that is considered a “legal thriller” achieves cinematic greatness, and frankly, I do not think Michael Clayton is an exception. It is a very good movie, featuring some pretty outstanding performances. I did not find the pacing of the movie to be put together as slickly as Ryan did. In fact, I kind of thought it dragged at times. In spite of these minor criticisms, at this point it probably is one of the best movies I've seen this year. But if it makes my top five at the end of the year, that means I'll be disappointed in what I see over the next two months or so.

Ryan: George Clooney continues his fine work by delivering yet another award-worthy performance. The character of Michael Clayton is complex yet authentic so a moviegoer is never quite sure which road he might go down in terms of doing what is right or what is wrong. That provides much of the suspense of the film. Clooney is simply on his A-game with his performance. The film has an unconventional resolution and I don't know many actors who could have pulled it off. Clooney is one of the rare genuine Hollywood starts that can balance big budget projects with more finely-tuned work

Andy: What makes George Clooney's performance so interesting here is how generally unsuccessful the character of Michael Clayton is. Commonly we see Clooney's characters using dashing good looks and charm to waltz their way through any tough situation. Here the good looks and charm keep coming up short, as almost every encounter in the movie turns out to be a minor failure for Clayton. He seems like a guy who is used to being able to breeze by on charm, but now he's just barely holding everything together. These struggles make Clayton one of the deeper character's Clooney has portrayed, and that makes it come across as one of his best.

Ryan: It seems like anymore legal thrillers are a dime a dozen. From the countless television dramas that dominate prime-time TV to the plethora of cinematic John Grisham adaptations, legal dramas are one sub-genre that reeks of staleness. That makes even more remarkable how great a film Michael Clayton truly is. The film is not tired or stale. In fact it feels fresh and original. If it sounds like I'm starting an Oscar campaign for this movie then so be it.


Andy: Allow me to reiterate; I enjoyed this movie, but if it gets a best picture nomination, this will be a weak year for the Oscars. The only thing that seemed Oscar- ready in this movie was the performance of Tom Wilkinson. It is clear from the delivery of his opening voice-over
monologue that Wilkinson is electrifying in this film. It is a quintessential supporting role, and Wilkinson nails it.

In spite of some minor disagreements, we both feel that this is a high quality film worthy of an A-.