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Written and Directed by Tony Gilroy
Starring:  George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sidney Pollack
 

Often movies of the legal/crime thriller genre move too fast for me.  The moments of discovery go right over my head.  The action scenes feel chaotic and confusing.  I disrupt the experience of my fellow movie-goers (usually my husband) by asking frequent questions like,
 

“What just happened?”
“How did he know that?”
“Is that the same guy who was chasing her before?”
 

I come out of the theater dazzled by the fast-paced action sequences and the exciting explosions, but not able to articulate much about the movie other than its slick, clever, coolness.  Within a month of seeing this type of movie, I won’t usually remember the details of the plot or the characters; and within a year, I might not be able to remember whether or not I ever saw it. 
 

There are really only a few movies of this genre that have stayed with me and that I have wanted to see again and share with others.  One that ranks among my favorites (in any genre) is Witness, which of course, crosses the boundaries between thriller and romance.  Another of my favorites (also starring Harrison Ford) is The Fugitive.  Now I can add Michael Clayton to this select list.
 

It seems like a lot of action film-makers think that in order for something to be exciting, it has to be fast-paced and rapid-fire.  The resulting fevered pitch is a confusing mess to those of us not blessed with quick-wittedness.  Michael Clayton manages to be both thrilling and coherent.  From the early moments of the film, it is absolutely riveting and yet, it never feels rushed.
 

Clooney as our hero, the world-weary Clayton, is intelligent, charismatic and strong, but not too much of a tough guy to show his feelings.  Clayton is a lawyer in a huge firm, specializing in defending corporate giants and wealthy criminals.  Clayton is known as “the janitor” – He cleans up messes.   
 

The entire firm is in an uproar when a brilliant and esteemed partner, Arthur Eden (Wilkinson), strips off his clothes during a court session and declares his love to one of the plaintiffs.  It turns out that he suffers from bi-polar disorder and has a history of giving up his meds.  Clayton is sent to pick up the pieces, and it isn’t the first time he’s taken care of Arthur.  They have a history.
 

The characters are complex and interesting; likable, yet flawed.  Wilkinson mesmerizes as the crazy/brilliant Arthur.  His pitch-perfect performance is subtle, yet intense.  Tilda Swinton is excellent in her role as in-house legal counsel for the corporation Arthur is supposed to be defending. Amidst his stellar costars, Clooney registers a strong, solid presence, bringing to mind a Harrison Ford-like charisma.    
 

I guess you could say I have a thing for Harrison Ford, nonetheless, Michael Clayton ranks as one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while.
 

Grade:  A

This movie proved something to me.  Even Brad Pitt can get boring.  I’m serious!  During the last hour of this 2 hour and 40 minute film, I was literally checking my watch.  Every time the screen would fade to black I would hold my breath, hoping for the credits to start rolling.  Inwardly I was begging for the end, “Enough already.  Just kill the guy, why don’t you!”  (I hope I didn’t give anything away there.)
Maybe it’s a good idea to evaluate the title when choosing a movie.  Does it seem too wordy, awkward, self-indulgent?  These would all be apt descriptions of this film which was trying to be epic, but never achieved the glory that it attempted.   
This movie has several things that work well.  Good cast and fine performances, lovely cinematography by Roger Deakins, and a haunting atmospheric quality.  But all of this served as smoke and mirrors for a movie that lacks substance and consistency.  I felt like I was watching a montage of starkly, beautiful images with very little to hold them together.
One huge problem is the length and pacing of the movie.  It is as slow as molasses in January.  Certain aspects of the story are not at all fleshed out, like Jesse James’ biographical history and personal relationships.  This seems like it could have been an intentional thing, but I found myself frustrated.  The film feels as if it is supposed to be a character study of sorts with little or no character development. 
I have no idea what the original book was like in terms of dialogue, but here it is wildly inconsistent.  These are murderous thieves and scalawags living in the brutal, wild west.  Often the language they use is awkward and stilted, which seems appropriate to these characters, but every so often, they break into discussions of their issues and feelings as if they had suddenly drifted into a Nora Ephron movie.  It might have felt vaguely comical, if the subject matter hadn’t been so unrelentingly depressing.
Grade:  D