Michael Clayton (2007)

This is supposedly a movie about a morally ambiguous lawyer who gets caught up in a mess of lies and conspiracy. In reality, it is a movie about a morally un-ambiguous lawyer who gets caught up in a mess of lies and conspiracy.

It isn't that George Clooney is bad in this movie. It's just that there is no doubt that he will do the right thing in the end. George Clooney is clearly capable of portraying a nuanced character--he proved that in Oh Brother Where art Thou? I don't know why he fails to make his character in this film more three dimensional--he fails to be anything more than the stereotypical lawyer-turned-goodguy.

That said, it is a pretty good thriller. There is an extended wraparound flashback that encompasses most of the film. It succeeds where most such extended flashbacks fail, in that you are anything but bored when it overlaps. The pacing of the film is really excellent. And although the wrap up on the plot is fairly predictable, the VERY end is nicely extended.

As I mentioned earlier, Tom Wilkinson is fantastic in this film. He disappears into the character, and lends it the nuance that Clooney's character lacks.

Tilda Swinton won the best supporting actress, but she's basically a non-entity. I'm still bitter.

It is worth seeing as what it is--a decent thriller. It is not worthy of the fawning attention that the critics have heaped on it since it was nominated for all those Oscars.