Michael Clayton Film Review
George Clooney Stars in Tony Gilroy's Thriller
Gilroy's thriller fails to move beyond adequate, in spite of powerful acting by the majority of the cast
Michael Clayton (dir. Tony Gilroy, 2007)
Tony Gilroy debuts as director in this thriller about a hard nosed lawyer who cracks under pressure and rejects his mental health medication, whilst working for a powerful company. Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is the associate who is called in to clean things up, so that the law firm retains integrity and so that it also keeps on track with a planned merger. The lawyer who cracks is Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), and he happens to have a crisis of conscience whilst defending a powerful firm called U North, whom he has been litigating for, for six years.
Michael Clayton is an arena for power house acting. George Clooney is now highly accustomed to much more political or subtle film making such as this. Tilda Swinton plays Karen Crowder and her acting credentials ensure a far from 'play it by numbers' performance. The cast is very, very strong and Tom Wilkinson is extremely convincing as a mentally unstable, but highly talented lawyer. In fact, this film is very well acted and should ensure a gripping but intelligent thriller.
Fails in its Direction
The problem with Michael Clayton is the direction. Tony Gilroy is an extremely competent writer with The Bourne Trilogy being fine examples of good screen writing. The script for Clayton is also very strong and Tom Wilkinson's performance, such as in his police cell, simply magnifies the material he is working with. Unfortunately, the direction leaves the whole affair rather bland. This is a thriller about a lawyer who unwittingly comes up against a very powerful firm; this firm has enough money to kill people who stand in its way as well. This scary prospect and looming foresight that the audience is given though, never manages to create tension. Gilroy's standard direction and unimaginative use of cinematography leaves the audience never actually being drawn into the story. Powerful acting ensues, but the direction fails to move this film above moderate.
Swinton: Excellent Portrayal of Moral Corruption
This power acted film is not a poorly crafted piece, but it simply fails to deliver. The potential for being a thriller alongside the likes of Michael Mann's The Insider is never really reached. Even though Tilda Swinton's performance is superb, the performances, such as hers, appear isolated from the film. Swinton is a morally ambiguous, obsessive compulsive lawyer whose life is an act. One scene draws this out wonderfully with Swinton's character, Crowder rehearsing her 'lines' for an upcoming interview. Her responses in the interview convey spontaneity, although it is, in fact, delivered owing to rigorous practice. Crowder is a woman unable to be natural and unable to engage with normal social rituals. She seems out of place in the world and her strangeness is played to perfection by Swinton. The Oscar was well deserved.
Such examples of brilliance do not hide the disappointing direction though and Michael Clayton will be a film that fades into the background like Clooney's protagonist.
