Michael Clayton is a that rare thing: an intelligent, fictional thriller for grownups. Like any self-respecting Thriller for Grownups, it’s relentlessly grim in tone, the chronology is fractured, and a high level of detail demands your attention. It doesn’t approach impenetrability like Syriana, but it unfortunately doesn’t engage the brain as much as a good puzzler could. Everything is spelled out for the viewer in the end, except for a few niggling logistical questions. (Such as, why would two expert assassins opt for something so messily conspicuous as a car bomb?)

Shiva the goddess of death

Michael Clayton has all the whiff of being based on a true story, but is in fact a wholly original work from writer/director Tony Gilroy - his first film as director after a successful run of screenplays including the Bourne trilogy. George Clooney carries the film with the complex, compromised title character, and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton sweats convincingly as a dying-inside corporate executioner. But in my mind the real star is Tom Wilkinson.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Official movie site: michaelclayton.warnerbros.com

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Written by Chad Ossman

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 am and is filed under Movie (DVD). You can follow any responses to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.