Michael Clayton

By Linda Winsh-Bolard

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a man with problems. Once a brilliant trial attorney, he now works as a "fixer" for large law firm. In his own words, he is a janitor. His personal life is in the aftermath disaster of gambling, divorce, lonely parenting, and a brother with every addiction generally known.

While Michael is playing, he is told that it is time to pay his gambling debts, some $75,000 immediately, then called to help with a car accident caused by reckless but rich client of his firm, he also loses his restaurant and suffers from doubts stirred by the opening voice over of Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), one of the oldest firmâ's lawyers and a friend.

As he ponders all these things early in the morning, on a hillside watching beautiful horses, his car down bellow blows up. Twice.

We cut back to 4 days earlier when Arthur suddenly disrobed during a court deposition. Michael was called in to smooth it over, but despite his efforts Arthur disappeared. For the last 6 years Arthur worked on a class action case, worth millions, for a corporation U/North sued for causing substantial health damages to farmers.

Arthur found something proving U/North's guilt and, suspicious of everybody, he broadcasted part of this to all: to those who tapped his phone, Michael, his office and one of the claimants. In the morning he was dead. Michael finds out that Arthur was to meet one of the claimants, Anna, to give her the proof. Looking for it, he goes into Arthur's apartment and finds a receipt for printing services before he is arrested for breaking and entering. He now believes that Arthur was murdered. Nobody believed Arthur, nobody believes Michael.

Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), determined to protect her reputation as a litigator, recklessly proceeds to protect U/North. Michael gets dismissed by his office with a bonus that will pay his gambling debt. As Arthur, he should be dead, by chance he lives and moves events ahead, a bit unorthodoxly, in Arthur's memory and for his own sanity.

It is complicated film, with several interwoven actions, mirroring the complications of life. It eschews the easy black and white of the genre; there are no good guys. The question these days is not how far a corporate cover up will go (a mere film cannot beat reality), but how far Michael Clayton will.

It does not present sparkles, tricks and shootouts, it is meticulously written and stand on tension between the four major characters. Their acting holds the story together. Sydney Pollack is very good as the firm's co-founder Marty Bach, an attorney with no illusions and few loyalties. Tilda Swinton is the Hollywood's exception to the rule, neither thin, nor young, good actress who works simply because she is so good, and she is excellent here, groomed, self-contained get goer always trying to prove herself. George Cloony is her spiritual brother in the power game, just as polished and selfish; he just chooses a different path at the crossroads. Tom Wilkinson plays the bipolar senior partner who leaves both, the medication and the firm, behind when he sees what damages his actions cause. It is a difficult mix of softness and edge, sanity and madness and Wilkinson is terrific.

Directed and written by Tony Gilroy who has written all three sequels of Bourne as well as Proof of Life, and applied his writing to his directorial debut. Working with cinematographer Robert Elswit (Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana) he shot the film classically, kept the masking, costumes and sets equally classic (all that luxury of company's money), lit it with contract to personal and corporate life, and it all worked for the cleanliness of this picture.