Michael Clayton
It was as unbearably boring day at my office, the day being an optional off day. Brwosing through many websites and pages my eyes suddenly caught fancy of a Michael Clayton promo. Bang!! The day was about to change. I had heard and read some positive reviews of this flick, so myself and another bored colleague of mine decided to BUNK office for the day.
Soon we found ourselves seated at the dark theatrehall of FUNCINEMAS.The plot of the movie is very simple- the age-old tried and tested victory of good over bad recipe. But what makes the movie stand apart is the unique story telling tacteicwhich director Tony Gilroy has adapted and managed to craft a masterpiece.Here's the plot-Michael is a fixer at a New York law firm, the janitor in expensive suits who covers up the misdeeds of rich clients.Gambling debts, faults as a divorced father, huge debt to an organized crime racket, a troubled cop family: Michael is is constantly haunted by his mistakes in the past, tries to figure out a way to get past his midlife crisis. The fact crystallizes when the firm's boss hands him his toughest assignment: Put a lid on Arthur Edens , a top litigator representing a huge agro-chemical corporation U- North, being hit by a class action suit, has a bipolar breakdown, compounded by guilt over his defense of a company that is probably in the wrong, but is wealthy enough to buy its innocence either wayoff his meds and stripping at depositions, is suddenly switching sides.The company's CEO (Tilda Swinton) will stop at nothing to keep Edens from sinking the case. Clayton must decide how much of Edens's mad rebellion against the company is sheer mental illness, how much is true, and how much it will cost him to do the right thing.
The plot is by no means something that we have never seen or heard before in Hollywood; but the wizardry in crafting bits and pieces of information from four pivotal days of Michaels' life is reamrkable. The sub-plots like the acquisition of Micahel's firm, his gamble to repay $ 75000 to a deadly crime racket, his converstations with his "too mature for his age" kid. Karen Crowder,U-North's CEO's manipulative ways to tackle the situation, the analogy created by the book Realms and Conquest (which talks about several people ahving the same dreams), the metaphor of horses, everything has been seamed into perfection, that an otherwise dark courtroom drama ends up being a wonderful output of craftmanship.
Tom Wilkinson, a consummate actor in his prime has delivered probably the performance of a lifetime. Powerhouse perfomances by Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack and Michael O'Keefe makes up for the rest. George Clooney looks good as usual just justice to his character not much much of an usual perfomnace. Over all the movie is just like a scrabble game, where inintially it can get you to scratch your head, but once you have places the right pieces in the right places, you are just amazed by the bigger picture.
** Best part was when the credits started rolling.peolpe were about to leave but George Clooney was still on screen. So everybody just stood there to witness the changing emotions on this sexy man's face. It seemed to me like he was getting a standing ovation. :)
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