michael clayton

THE FLICK: Is it possible to make a movie about a lawyer who never sets foot in a courtroom? I mean, imagine all the wasted dramatic potential; all those gasping jurors, banging gavels and unforgettable pronouncements like “You can’t handle the truth!” Is it even legal to skip those cinematic clichés? Well, writer / director Tony Gilroy pulls it off in Michael Clayton, a legal thriller that stays above the law and was rewarded with a seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. George Clooney stars as the titular lead character, a “fixer” for a prestigious New York law firm whose talents lie in finding solutions outside of the courtroom. Despite his usefulness and tenured status in the firm, Michael is 80-grand in debt and looking for way out of a career he never wanted in the first place. Called in to handle an embarrassing situation surrounding a critical case, he finds his loyalty tested by a fellow attorney who’s gone off his medication and “off the reservation,” threatening to spread a secret document that will cost the firm (and the company they represent) billions. It’s to Gilroy’s credit that he manages to combine both a satisfying morality play with more commercial elements of his other recent Hollywood project, the Bourne trilogy. At first glance, Michael Clayton seems to be headed down a predictable path of corporate greed interrupted by the usual last-minute legal heroics. But Gilroy uses a rather ingenious structure, bouncing between three main characters: Clayton, turncoat attorney Arthur Edens and corporate rep Karen Crowder who proves she’ll go to any extreme to protect her precarious position. And soon the film becomes patently unpredictable and surprisingly dangerous, leading up to a whopper of a final speech from Clooney who winds up, not in a courtroom, but alone in the back of a cab. There’s no denying Michael Clayton is an actor’s movie. Both Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton are the odds on favorite to win both Supporting Actor awards. And the concessions to these performances results in a very deliberately paced film that many will find unagreeably slow. Gilroy keeps things real, rarely exaggerating the action for dramatic effect (until the final 20-minutes or so), which is artistically admirable but frustrating at the same time. Michael Clayton, much like its central character, is a film that comes full circle. It might not be the best movie of last year, but Oscar got one thing right...it’s in the top five. THE FEATURES: Warner’s Blu-ray presentation is more than acceptable from a video perspective. As you might expect from a film made within the last year, the transfer is impeccable with a matching soundtrack, to boot. Extras are limited to a brief collection of additional scenes and a nice commentary from Tony Gilroy and editor John Gilroy, whose structural ideas were a major part of the film’s success.