Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton is one of the finest films of 2007 that no one (me included) saw in its initial release. And that's a shame; Michael Clayton a taught thriller that keeps multiple, seemingly separate, plot threads all going at once and brings all these lines together at the end.

George Clooney plays the title character, a lawyer "fixer" for a large firm in New York who's reached rock bottom in his career (he essentially cleans up after client's mistakes — he's called a "janitor" more than once), his personal life and is also dealing with a failed business venture that left him buried in debt he cannot pay back. Enter Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), another lawyer for the same firm who's spent the last 17 years of his life defending a chemical company from a multi-billion dollar lawsuit while at the same time earning millions in billings for the firm.

One day Edens goes off his psychiatric medication, becomes unstable and seemingly develops a conscience when he realizes what he's been defending all these years. Clayton is called in to fix what's gone wrong, but when billions of dollars and the future of the law firm are on the line, there are no limits to what the firm or the chemical company are willing to do to control the ensuing chaos.

I couldn't help but be amazed as to the quality of acting as well as the top-notch story. Be it Clooney playing Clayton as a burned-out lawyer with internal demons too numerous to mention who's spent a few too many years cleaning up other people's messes. Tilda Swinton as another lawyer willing to do anything to quell the firestorm of controversy Edens brings with his breakdown — no matter how much it damages her own conscience. And even Wilkerson playing Edens as a guy who's, for once, finally happy with life. Apparently being crazy is better than living with the guilt of destroying lives.

Michael Clayton is set to be released on DVD February 19.

By Bert Ehrmann
1/26/2008