michael clayton

missed this one when it was on the big screen recently
it seemed interesting enough in the trailer
but you know - george clooney - too mainstream
lately america has been well in my field of vision
things are cranking up with the presidential race
so try as i may it's hard to ignore the u s completely
tonight the dvd of the film ended up in my possession
lights out, laptop fired up, big breath and.....action
which starts totally unannounced with no opening credits
m c has a money and gambling problem and is playing poker
is down in his luck and not fussy about playing partners
though paradoxically drives a late model mercedes benz
he's an attorney come problem-solver for a large legal firm
goes where he is needed at any point in time to move things along
the opening scenes see him driving out of town on such a mission
town being the unmistakable and here grimy city of new york
on the way back a bomb mysteriously explodes in his car
at a moment when he has gone off to take in some nature
we're then in flashback mode to 4 days earlier to explain all this
his firm has been working for years on a large class action case
a chemical company is being sued billions for negligence
michael's old friend and co-worker has gone into meltdown
so he is assigned to pick him up and get him through the case
but all it not as it seems which makes things very interesting
tilda swinton impressively plays the chief counsel of the chemical company
way out of her depth it is suggested as she makes some bad calls
including the use of hitmen to take out people causing her grief
the cynic in me had me thinking nah - not likely - it's just a film
but at the same time there's a lot of realism to this scenario
as there's enough diversion from the main plot to back it up
quite a few scenes depict the main characters in their private lives
cleverly used to further explain people's motives and actions
michael clayton himself has a young son who gets involved
in a quite subtle way that ultimately has major consequences
the 4 days of flashback pass and we are back where we started
the opening scenes roll again but now we know what's going on
particularly why michael's car explodes and more so why he is not in it
his decision to engage with nature (horses) now a very moving scene
and from that point on the film moves quite rapidly
all the pieces have fallen into place and he acts accordingly
leading to a powerful and believable conclusion
the final scene sees michael clayton in the back of a taxi
now in a zone where he can finally dwell on events
the camera fixed on his face as the credits are rolled
2 or 3 minutes as his face displays appropriate emotions
making the point that george clooney is a fine actor
as i am snapped back to reality after an absorbing film
even in this case tonight on the little screen