Movie Review - Michael Clayton

It's not that this newest romp for George Clooney is bad .... as a matter of fact, it has a great ending, but it took too long to get there. Not necessarily George's fault because he did not write, produce, direct, decorate the set, and design the lighting (his usual penchant) for this please-hurry-up-and-get-to-the point crime-drama set in present-day New York. I think that's what he's done with his last few movies and they all get Oscar buzz. I don't think George has to worry about those pesky Oscar speeches come April 2008. However, and, much to his credit, George does a fine job of acting without one smirk in all of the four thousand or so times he's in close-up on the screen. That should delight George's hard core fans because say what you will, he's a damned fine actor and fills the screen with manly, chiseled good looks throughout.

There is a trend going on in Hollywood with writers who direct their own work and I think it's about as successful as a drag queen trying to pass himself off as Brittney Spears (poor, troubled thing). Because I write from time to time myself, I know that writers (who labor and agonize over every syllable and punctuation mark), get so close to the characters born of the imagination that he feels no other person can possibly bring them to life on-screen. That no one but 'He/She' (the writer) can bring s/his vision to the screen. This is a big mistake most of the time. By doing this, the writer severs what another fine imagination belonging to an experienced director might bring to fill out the characters and add dimension and appeal to them. When a writer directs his own work as screenwriter turned director Tony Gilroy has done the complete story is still known only to him with explanatory scenes locked in his head instead of on the screen.

For the first hour and ten minutes I kept waiting for all the sub-plots to begin making sense and after the next half hour I began squirming with displeasure as tedious dialogue scene after scene unraveled. With few exceptions almost all dialogue was delivered with the same low-keyed, monosyllabic rhythm and pace. I began wondering why George took the part in the first place. I mean without someone of George's box office draw, I doubt Michael Clayton would be getting any attention at all. Now I realize that The Clooney Man served as Executive Producer as well as Star and that answers my question. His millions are doubled and tripled if it becomes a box office hit. With George at the helm it very well could do so and more power to him. He's at the pinnacle of his career now and when he steps outside for a breath of fresh air all incoming oxygen turns to profit. He knows, up front, that he'll make millions even if it's not a smash hit. His global fan base alone will jack up ticket sales, so why not go to Japan and shake a few hands?

In the beginning there is something sinister going on but we don't know who, what, why, or when except that Michael Clayton (Clooney) is gambling big time with the crooks and lizards in back street New York, and he's not doing all that well. So he saunters out to his black Mercedes and drives through the night ... why? At this juncture were not sure. He's driving and driving and driving and come Sunup he stops to admire some horses in the dawn way up on a hill he had to climb to get to them. Symbolic? Nah ... just a clever trick to keep Clayton alive because his car at the bottom of the hill goes Boom and we now know someone doesn't like him very much.

What follows is what I consider death to any story. On a Blank Screen come the words: Four Weeks Earlier and I know I'm going to be lost because this story has no beginning, middle, or end. The best I can hope for is to be entertained while all the things called clues go right over my head. See, I don't want clues! I want to know what's what and who's who and why are they doing or undoing what they're done undoing. In disjointed segments we learn that there is a multi-Billion dollar lawsuit that has been going on for ages and ages because everyone connected with it is in their early hundreds. Michael Clayton is a member of New York's most prestigious Law Firm, Kenner, Bach, & Ledeen, yet his role is that of a bag-boy lawyer who "fixes things'. He's demoralized and oh, so weary of it all but can't get out. Isn't that the standard for marriages, relationships, love affairs, and corporate jobs everywhere? Why is this newsworthy and why did Clooney say yes to doing it? Unless Barbara Walters bangs him on the back of the head with an iron skillet I doubt we'll ever know.

There is a great role played by Tilda Swinton in the character of Karen Crowder. Crowder is the chief counsel at an agrochemical company (U/North) and defends the multi-billion dollar lawsuit at the heart of the story. We see interesting flashes of Crowder preparing for her court presentation and realize that everything she says or does is practiced, rehearsed, and calculated and manipulative. Just like some of the women I've worked for. But Swinton gets her reward in the end (no pun intended) and is given a doozey of a scene with Clooney to play that wraps everything up in an unsuspected nutshell. There is a three-second close-up of Swinton's face that is Oscar-worthy as Best Supporting Actress and was the highlight of the movie for me. It comes at the very end, and is almost worth the wait. Almost.

Actor Tom Wilkerson shines in the pivotal role of the firm's top litigator, Arthur Edens. Edens has uncovered a dastardly plot to insidiously supply Cancer-causing agents into the nation's food supply during his exhaustive years-long investigation, which has now left him nearly bereft of his senses. This is manifested in a sort of nervous breakdown caught on tape during a court proceeding that requires him to be locked up and under the watchful eyes of Michael Clayton (Clooney). As Edens meets his demise I saw in front of my eyes what certain Mafia insiders have said in the past about being able to murder without leaving a trace or clue.

This could have been very Hitchcockey if the plot had been allowed to unfold in the standard manner. As it is now there are so many unnecessary, extemporary scenes of family gatherings and Clayton's brother, nieces, and nephew that I got sidelined and then wanted to throw a hissy fit because they confused me so.

Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, Steven Samuels and Kerry Orent served as producers, with Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney, James Holt and Anthony Minghella serving as executive producers.

Behind the scenes were director of photography Robert Elswit, production designer Kevin Thompson, editor John Gilroy and costume designer Sarah Edwards. The music is by James Newton Howard.