ViewGuide

Created Dec 17, 2007 01:47PM PST • Edited Dec 17, 2007 01:47PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Michael Clayton is not your typical lawyer/cop/businessman. He falls somewhere between upholding the law and finding the loopholes in it. When one of his colleagues has a mental breakdown, he starts piecing together a major conspiracy and cover-up that might just do him in. With big names and the fall Oscar season right upon us, this may be the first major film to look at Oscar and feel deserved of that tiny little statue. But the question is, is it truly worthy?

   Michael Clayton is played by George Clooney. Many times called this generation’s Cary Grant for bringing a true presence to the screen and being larger than life the way Grant was, and the way fewer Hollywood actors are. He has become somewhat of the embodiment of what Hollywood would like to be seen as again. His style of acting is very comfortable and fluid in a way that most actors would seem lazy if they took on the same style. That style has become a trademark of his that he brings to every role he takes. His 1998 film, Out of Sight, got him out of the operating room in ER and brought him to the big screen where everyone could see that he was more than just the doctor on TV. And the big budget Ocean’s films made him into a true superstar.

   All that being said, this is not his best film, but it is far from his worst. Clooney has a way of captivating the audience every time he is on screen and that is no more evident than in this crime thriller. The movie is about Clooney’s character who is a lawyer by trade who does everything but go to trial. He is many times called the janitor as he cleans up peoples’ messes and sets them up with the attorney that is right for them. His role is very ambiguous in this major firm in New York, and that may be one of the weak points of the film. It is on the lips of everyone in the film that no one knows what exactly he does, instead of letting the viewer take that on for themselves. If it had been said a single time, and then left the ambiguity alone for the viewer to think about, then it would have worked well. Unfortunately the writer/director Tony Gilroy does not trust his audience enough to let them think about it, but instead pushes it down their throats. You would think that with Sydney Pollack and George Clooney acting as producers on the film, that he would have actually listened to these seasoned professionals.

   Another issue that I have with the film is Tilda Swinton. While she may be a talented actress, she is also one of the scariest women I have ever seen. Everytime I see her, I kind of get freaked out. The two roles that I associate her with are the role of the White Witch in the first Narnia film, as well as the role of Gabriel in Constantine. So obviously she doesn’t exactly hold a dear place in my heart. And like I said, it is not that she is a bad actress, but that I have no compassion for any character that she plays as she has left a bad taste in my mouth in previous roles. The cast is rounded out by Sydney Pollack and Tom Wilkinson as the founders of the firm that Clooney works at. Both deliver the roles that you would expect them to deliver being veterans in the acting arena.

   One thing that was a definite positive for the film, was that it was definitely intense. A murder scene, and a quite moment in a loft really draw you in and make you think that there is nothing more important than what is happening at this very moment in this film. To give you an example, the loft scene had such intensity that a woman next to us in the theater actually left right after the scene was up because she had a little accident during the film. If that doesn’t mean it wrapped her up, then I don’t know what does. So we have a good role for Clooney, good acting from the secondary cast, and a so/so writing and directing job from Gilroy. I think that totals up to about a 7 out of 10. If you think this is a little higher than it sounded, then it’s because it really did wrap me up in the story and I wouldn’t have been satisfied with any other ending. So, go see it and see what you think.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   Michael Clayton is played by George Clooney. Many times called this generation’s Cary Grant for bringing a true presence to the screen and being larger than life the way Grant was, and the way fewer Hollywood actors are. He has become somewhat of the embodiment of what Hollywood would like to be seen as again. His style of acting is very comfortable and fluid in a way that most actors would seem lazy if they took on the same style. That style has become a trademark of his that he brings to every role he takes. His 1998 film, Out of Sight, got him out of the operating room in ER and brought him to the big screen where everyone could see that he was more than just the doctor on TV. And the big budget Ocean’s films made him into a true superstar.

   All that being said, this is not his best film, but it is far from his worst. Clooney has a way of captivating the audience every time he is on screen and that is no more evident than in this crime thriller. The movie is about Clooney’s character who is a lawyer by trade who does everything but go to trial. He is many times called the janitor as he cleans up peoples’ messes and sets them up with the attorney that is right for them. His role is very ambiguous in this major firm in New York, and that may be one of the weak points of the film. It is on the lips of everyone in the film that no one knows what exactly he does, instead of letting the viewer take that on for themselves. If it had been said a single time, and then left the ambiguity alone for the viewer to think about, then it would have worked well. Unfortunately the writer/director Tony Gilroy does not trust his audience enough to let them think about it, but instead pushes it down their throats. You would think that with Sydney Pollack and George Clooney acting as producers on the film, that he would have actually listened to these seasoned professionals.

   Another issue that I have with the film is Tilda Swinton. While she may be a talented actress, she is also one of the scariest women I have ever seen. Everytime I see her, I kind of get freaked out. The two roles that I associate her with are the role of the White Witch in the first Narnia film, as well as the role of Gabriel in Constantine. So obviously she doesn’t exactly hold a dear place in my heart. And like I said, it is not that she is a bad actress, but that I have no compassion for any character that she plays as she has left a bad taste in my mouth in previous roles. The cast is rounded out by Sydney Pollack and Tom Wilkinson as the founders of the firm that Clooney works at. Both deliver the roles that you would expect them to deliver being veterans in the acting arena.

5. Male Stars Really Great 4.5

6. Female Stars Really Great 4.5

7. Female Costars Really Great 4.5

8. Male Costars Really Great 4.5

10. Film

    Really Great 4.5

11. Direction Really Great 4.5

12. Play Really Great 4.5

13. Music Really Great 4.5

14. Visuals Really Great 4.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Sordid 3.4

    One thing that was a definite positive for the film, was that it was definitely intense. A murder scene, and a quite moment in a loft really draw you in and make you think that there is nothing more important than what is happening at this very moment in this film. To give you an example, the loft scene had such intensity that a woman next to us in the theater actually left right after the scene was up because she had a little accident during the film. If that doesn’t mean it wrapped her up, then I don’t know what does.

17. Sex Erotic 3.4

18. Violence Brutal 3.4

19. Rudeness Profane 3.4

21. Reality

    Surreal 2.3

22. Circumstantial Surreal 2.3

23. Biological Surreal 2.3

24. Physical Surreal 2.3