Michael Clayton (2007)

I was finally able to see one of the Best Picture nominees, Michael Clayton, which was also nominated for Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton), and Best Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson). My thoughts on their performances? George Clooney was good, Tilda Swinton was good, and Tom Wilkinson was awesome (I am still waiting to see Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men, but until then, Wilkinson is definitely my favorite supporting actor performance for 2007).

Michael Clayton (played by Clooney) is a "fixer" at a prestigious law firm in New York City. What is a "fixer" you say? Basically, he cleans up difficult situations with sometimes unconventional methods. The plot really gets kicked off as one of the senior partners at the firm (played superbly by Tom Wilkinson) has a mental breakdown of sorts in the middle of a deposition for a 3 billion dollar class action lawsuit. Clayton is dispatched to get the situation under control and try to ease the minds of the General Counsel of the firm's client (played by Tilda Swinton). It soon becomes apparent that Wilkinson's character will not be settled, and starts working against his former client. With 3 billion at stake, how far are people willing to go to silence him? Dunh dunh duuuuuuh....

I thought this movie was superb. Easily one of the most memorable films of 2007 - I actually watched it twice, and then the good parts version a third time. The acting is great, the plot intricate, the moral questions deep, and even little details like the cinematography, and music were just perfect for dramatic effect at just the right moments. Another thing I really liked about it was that it didn't waste time talking down to the audience, to explain things, which happens sometimes with movies like this. It was sharp and direct, and the drama carried me through the movie without me thinking once about when it was going to end. Oh, and the ending, by the way, was perfect.

I still have a deep love for Once so I can't put this at my top movie for the year, but so far, it neatly slides into second place, with a strong recommend.

The movie is rated R for language - though this is no Scarface in that regard, it is definitely not one I would watch with my grandmother :).