Michael Clayton, He Said

George Clooney plays Michael Clayton is his usual cool and deliberate self until the circumstances surrounding him and challenge his integrity and values. Clayton is the New York born attorney with the law degree from Fordam. Good enough to land a job in the D. A."s office, but how and why he ends up as one of the golden boys in a blue chip law firm is answered in the first scene. Clayton is called out of an underground poker game to "handle" a problem for a fellow attorney who's client is involved in a hit and run. It's the job of the firms fixer, Clayton, to confront, cajole and comfort the wealthy, irresponsible and irate client.

With a divorce and gambling addiction in his past Clayton is now facing the reality that the bar he"s financed for his addicted and ne'er-do-well brother has failed and the escape price is more money than he has. Ratcheting up the tension is the discovery that the firms top litigator has gone nuts during a deposition and is threatening to sabotage the largest client the firm represents.

Make no mistake, this is a movie written, produced and filmed to make a point. The point is that big law firms exist to keep big clients out of trouble. Justice is not something that's decided, or frankily discussed, in the law office. Justice is dealt with by a court. It's the job of the attorneys to provide information to the court and the information the court recieves may not be complete if the lawyers can limit, select and stall long enough to influence the outcome. It's a messy business and sometimes events just get messed up way beyond any way to clean them up.

The tension through out this film is palpable. Clayton seems to be in control, but the audience is given enough information to know that he is sliding into a trap. Frantically reaching out for help, he knows not whom he can trust or count on. Even his brother, a career cop, seems to doubt his purpose. The problems neatly come together in the tightly packaged solution. Michael can solve all of his problems and everyone can walk away, but the solution is a compromise in justice.

How Clayton handles this is interesting and satisfying. Surrounded by talent in excess, Clooney shines in a role that was literally made for him. To say he did a great job in this dark urban thriller is fine But Clooney in his quest to make movies that say something important is in danger of becoming a caricature of himself. To handsome, to moral, flawed, but redeemable is okay and it has worked several times for him, but sooner or later Clooney is going to have to do an "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" to remind me he still has range.