It's not easy to get me to watch movies with a character's name as the title. For all I knew, Michael Clayton would be about a pottery instructor searching for meaning in his miserable life, and who hasn't seen that before? In any case, all it took was the viewing of a single scene in a film class, which sadly, happened to be the last scene, and I decided this would be a swell thriller to add to the queue.
This is an excellent example of a realistic thriller. We don't have agents or SWAT teams piling out of vans. There really aren't any guns, per se, though there is a car bomb. What we have is a talented man who has made a career as a puppet and learns just how unsatisfactory that choice is.
Since I was partly watching this for research purposes, I paid special attention to the pacing of this revelation. The prologue lasts sixteen minutes: ample time to explain the nitty gritty of the world and set up the main conflict of who would try to kill this talented individual. However, it takes an hour and twenty minutes for Michael to actually realize that the puzzle pieces aren't fitting together; the main action takes place over forty minutes. However, the rest of the duration, while slightly confusing to those of us who don't speak legalese, was hardly dull, which I attribute to the performance of the actors.
It seems to me that George Clooney is picking up a trend in his roles, that of the floating man, consumed by his career, alienated from friend and family, and undeniably talented (see Up in the Air). He carries a very similar attitude in his performance, which works well in his roles, but in this case, he was overshadowed by the truly eerie, Oscar-winning performance of Tilda Swinton, who reminded me throughout of Lucifer weeping for his inescapable corruption. Also noteworthy was Tom Wilkinson's snarling opening narration, the performance of which saved what could have been a rather dull opening montage, and his quirky portrayal of Michael's sage coworker and friend, Arthur. In my curiosity over acting, Michael Clayton stands out as an exemplary reference for natural acting.
I give Michael Clayton four stars as a valuable resource and a compelling story with memorable characters.
This is an excellent example of a realistic thriller. We don't have agents or SWAT teams piling out of vans. There really aren't any guns, per se, though there is a car bomb. What we have is a talented man who has made a career as a puppet and learns just how unsatisfactory that choice is.
Since I was partly watching this for research purposes, I paid special attention to the pacing of this revelation. The prologue lasts sixteen minutes: ample time to explain the nitty gritty of the world and set up the main conflict of who would try to kill this talented individual. However, it takes an hour and twenty minutes for Michael to actually realize that the puzzle pieces aren't fitting together; the main action takes place over forty minutes. However, the rest of the duration, while slightly confusing to those of us who don't speak legalese, was hardly dull, which I attribute to the performance of the actors.
It seems to me that George Clooney is picking up a trend in his roles, that of the floating man, consumed by his career, alienated from friend and family, and undeniably talented (see Up in the Air). He carries a very similar attitude in his performance, which works well in his roles, but in this case, he was overshadowed by the truly eerie, Oscar-winning performance of Tilda Swinton, who reminded me throughout of Lucifer weeping for his inescapable corruption. Also noteworthy was Tom Wilkinson's snarling opening narration, the performance of which saved what could have been a rather dull opening montage, and his quirky portrayal of Michael's sage coworker and friend, Arthur. In my curiosity over acting, Michael Clayton stands out as an exemplary reference for natural acting.
I give Michael Clayton four stars as a valuable resource and a compelling story with memorable characters.
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