Michael Clayton

Genre:Drama
By Warner Bros.
Directed by Tony Gilroy
Runtime: 119 minutes
Starring George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Tilda Swinton (Karen Crowder), Tom Wilkinson (Arthur Edens), Sydney Pollack (Marty Bach)

A Quiet Thriller That Quickens Your Heart No Less

This is a quiet and understated thriller of the year. As with all films titled with the name of the protagonist, this movie depicts the struggles of Michael Clayton as he chooses the thin line between right and wrong.

George Clooney is well-cast as the protagonist what with his mesmerizing eyes and mysterious demeanour which helps to sustain the movie. The movie beseeches one to use the brains and keeps us on our toes with the unfolding of the major cover-up. Kudos to the director for keeping us in suspense even though he rarely employs the use of music to add to the mood of the movie.

As layers of the plot unfold, we are increasingly drawn into the story and feel more and more for the protagonist for having chosen the wrong career path, brilliant he may be. Living his mid-life and suddenly realizing that he is penniless and has no partnership in a company he has been with all his life, though valued, Clayton is not very marketable and seems destined to continue his path of mistakes, until his best friend and working partner decides to go bonkers and strips naked at a boardroom. Clayton is asked to clear up the mess.

We feel for Clayton more and more and witness his internal struggles to be a good man for his growing kid, to be his role model and at the same time, becoming a good man to rid him of his conscience of all the wrong things he had ‘righted’ for others. Eventually we cheer for the man who emerged victorious in this dog eat dog world.

He may not have become richer, a decision he had, but he came out stronger than we deem him in the beginning of the film. Though not necessarily richer in his bank, he is definitely richer thanks to the right decision he made, even in the face of death.

How sad it is for a brilliant man to find himself a penniless middle-aged man overnight. Being divorced without a title to his name, Clayton may be considered worthless. With no love life, no career, no money and no true friends, Clayton manages to become the role model he so desperately wants his son to see him as even in the face of death.

A film that needs to be savoured. Do not expect run of the mill thrills and spills in this thriller.