MICHAEL CLAYTON is a movie about a lawyer who has spent too much time 'negotiating and fixing deals' and the theme interested me. George Clooney plays the protagonist. The movie hints at the huge stakes that a law firm has in an environmental corporate sort of case and the way Clayton's personal problems of being broke and in debt come into conflict with his professional interests. One fine day, his car explodes before his eyes and that is when he realizes that some one is trying to get rid of him.
Too often, we find Clayton looking lost and staring without expression, at what's in front of him.
The actress in this movie is Tilda Swinton. She is the epitome of an ambitious corporate lawyer whose greed for fame and publicity fuels her need to prove herself infallible. She spends most of her time practicing lines before a mirror. Her character lacks substance in the way its been etched out and it is clear right from the start that she has to maintain a dour expression, without even the hint of a smile.
The theme was a good one but was badly executed. It just rips apart your patience and kills your interest in the movie. The end was brilliant and worth the wait, to some extent. If you can stay patient, this may be a movie that will try it further.
