George Clooney is Michael Clayton, fixer for a big New York law firm. As talk of a merger is leaving Clayton with an uncertain future, his plans to open a bar as an escape are sinking. As doubts about the future mount his firm needs him to bail out and rein in a litigation partner who's gone crazy and who is threatening to blow a massive class action settlement and suit.Unfortunately there are other forces at work...
Clooney has been picked as an Oscar favorite for his work here and I'm pretty sure that his work will probably get a nomination. Its quite good, especially in the second half of the film. I'd like to put Sydney Pollack up for a nomination as well as a neat little turn as the law firm founding partner and watchman over Clayton. He's the right mix of friend and foe that many law firm partners have. Its clear that he is both a slime and a good guy, depending upon which end of his life you end up on. Its a nice performance that is too good to get lost (which it will if people don't mention it).
The film itself is good but not great. Its a solid little story that thinks its more clever than it is. Well made its not really well plotted. Its not the burnout uncertainty story line thats the problem is the Tilda Swinton/dark forces storyline. Its at this point I run into a problem in that in order to discuss the flaws of the film I have to discuss the details of the plot. Unfortunately in order to do so would kind of make seeing the film redundant, so I won't since this is worth seeing somewhere other than at a full movie theater price.Suffice to say that some of what happens happens only to drive the plot and to get to the conclusion.
I like the film but dislike the contrived nature of the story line. See the film and bear with it since it gets better as goes on.
6.5 out of 10, 7 out of 10 for IMDb purposes
Clooney has been picked as an Oscar favorite for his work here and I'm pretty sure that his work will probably get a nomination. Its quite good, especially in the second half of the film. I'd like to put Sydney Pollack up for a nomination as well as a neat little turn as the law firm founding partner and watchman over Clayton. He's the right mix of friend and foe that many law firm partners have. Its clear that he is both a slime and a good guy, depending upon which end of his life you end up on. Its a nice performance that is too good to get lost (which it will if people don't mention it).
The film itself is good but not great. Its a solid little story that thinks its more clever than it is. Well made its not really well plotted. Its not the burnout uncertainty story line thats the problem is the Tilda Swinton/dark forces storyline. Its at this point I run into a problem in that in order to discuss the flaws of the film I have to discuss the details of the plot. Unfortunately in order to do so would kind of make seeing the film redundant, so I won't since this is worth seeing somewhere other than at a full movie theater price.Suffice to say that some of what happens happens only to drive the plot and to get to the conclusion.
I like the film but dislike the contrived nature of the story line. See the film and bear with it since it gets better as goes on.
6.5 out of 10, 7 out of 10 for IMDb purposes