Michael Clayton Review
by Sean Lynch
Big businesses are monsters. We get it - it's no secret any longer. The days of The Firm and Wall Street are
long gone, when our eyes were only just being opened to the corrupt
nature of business (and more to the point, money & power).
Hell,
you just have to look at the front page of the papers to see that
people don't even bother hiding it anymore (George Bush openly admitted
to lying about WMD's in Iraq - and is now talking of going into Iran
for the same reason...um, who the hell will support that?). But I must
digress from the political rantings of a lunatic. Michael Clayton, the latest
flick from George Clooney, is far from a new concept. There have been
plenty of these "underdogs exposing the big wigs" sort of flicks in the past - some
of them good, the majority largely forgettable. And while Clayton
is rather gripping, and the performances are pretty tip top, it's not
exactly going to have you lining up more than once for a ticket stub. In
it, Clooney plays Michael Clayton (of course!), a "fixer" at one of the
Big Apple's largest corporate law firms. A former criminal prosecutor
(he's been at the firm for 17 years and still isn't a partner), Clayton
takes care of the seedier cases that need a quick clean up - and
quietly (he's a self proclaimed "janitor"). However a
divorce, gambling problem and a bankrupt business venture leaves
Clayton with a limited number of options besides sticking at it.
Things
soon turn nasty after one of the firms best attorney's (a superb turn
by Tom Wilkinson) flips out during a multi-million dollar settlement of
a class action suit which is supporting a large crop dusting company.
Clayton must now decide whether or not to betray his long time friend
in favour of the company, or risk life and limb to bring the truth to
the public.
There's plenty of twists and turns, but nothing that
will really surprise you. Clooney, despite his best efforts, continues
to play 'George Clooney'. It's almost impossible to see past his cool
public persona - but that's where the films real strength lies - with
Clooney. He is just such a charismatic screen presence in whatever he
does, you can't help but hope for his character to succeed.
Michael Clayton isn't going to set the world on fire with it's message or style (if Dumb & Dumber is fluro orange, and Batman is black - then Michael Clayton is about as grey as a film can get), but there are some well crafted performances on offer from a cast rich with talent.
It's
not bad, it's certainly not great, but it will keep you glued to your
seat until the end. And that's all a film maker can ask for really.
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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