Michael Clayton Review
by Clint Morris
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There’s nothing quite as unappealing as a film with a person’s name making up the title : Michael Collins, Erin Brockovich, Jerry Maguire, Audrey Rose, Jackie Brown.
From
the outset, all those movies were about as enticing as a frothless
Cappuccino. But like a cup of the hot stuff, it’s what’s inside that
counts and the superficial gripe soon takes a back seat to fulfilment,
once you realise it ain’t that bad after all, right?
George Clooney’s latest movie, Michael Clayton,
should be another one with a bland exterior but killer interior -
a run down townhouse with a refurbished lounge room, if you will. One
of those that you’ve gotta get into it, not just view it from afar,
before you can appreciate, ya know?
Key words: Should be.
Michael
Clayton (Clooney) is a veteran lawyer – though he’s never made partner,
which is kind of strange – bought in to “fix” situations. His latest
assignment? Sort out the mess left by a colleague.
An attorney
(Tom Wilkinson), who's defending a mammoth conglomerate from a huge
class-action suit, has an attack of the scruples and goes bananas –
right in the middle of a hearing (he stripped off). Clayton steps in to
clean up his mess and take over the case. Thing is, Clayton discovers
that, like his weathered colleague, the people they’re supposed to be
defending – and their lawyer (Tilda Swinton) - are as guilty as hell,
and starts to grow perturbed with his tasks.
Michael Clayton is Erin Brockovich
with Aftershave – only not quite as entertaining. It has some good
performances in it (though at times even Clooney seemed to be
channelling his Bruce Wayne from Batman and Robin;
in other words, he seemed a little flat) from the likes of Clooney, Tom
Wilkinson, Sydney Pollack and Tilda Swinton; an interesting
enough-storyline (rather gripping at times) and the structure of it is
clever enough, but when all is said and done, it’s nothing you can’t
see from week to week on one of the legal shows on TV – Damages, for instance – and usually, they’re better handled too.
Good, but expected a little more from screenwriter Tony Gilroy (The Bourne trilogy). 3 out
of 5 Michael Clayton
Australian
release: 18th October,
2007
Cast: George Clooney, Sean Cullen, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Tony Gilroy
Website: Click
here.
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