Release Date:
10/05/2007
In a role that seems a perfect fit, George Clooney is Michael Clayton, a "fixer" at a large New York law firm that makes a bundle in corporate business. Clayton is a former prosecutor who now takes on all the down-and-dirty assignments no one else wants. Clearly he does not love his job, but is forced to continue due to an expensive divorce, bad business karma, and a serious gambling habit. When a troubled-but-talented colleague (Tom Wilkinson, who will be up for every award in the book including an Oscar) gets himself caught up in an ethical dilemma, he torpedoes an important class-action suit the firm is looking to settle. This causes great problems for his old friend Clayton, who, in battling his own conscience and questions of right and wrong, must also deal with the other firm's rising star litigator (Tilda Swinton), whose career is riding on an outcome favorable to her company. Just when you thought Hollywood might have forgotten how to make a smart adult thriller, along comes a film like this retro-'70s-style thriller, exactly the kind of exciting and intelligent drama audiences are begging for. George Clooney takes on the kind of role Paul Newman would have relished in years gone by, and shows his true star power as a burned-out pro who must somehow pick himself up and summon the modicum of human dignity he has buried somewhere deep inside. Bourne series screenwriter Tony Gilroy's tight direction and involving script help lift this admirable movie to the top of the must-see list.