Michael Clayton
Taut. What might have been a pretty average thriller turns out to be much better than that due to a number of rather interesting performances. George Clooney inhabits these middle aged men who realise they’ve lost their way roles so well. There is a moment, standing in a field with three horses when the character hits rock bottom, the despondency just comes of the screen in waves. Tom Wilkinson makes what could have been a wacky joke of a character completely believable. Tilda Swinton is stunning and makes the whole movie for me. Her character is so constrained, walking a tightrope, trying to hold her own in the boys club. Definitely worth a trip to the theatre.
Current temperature: here 6C/43F, there 57F/14C
November 24th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Here I am commenting on an old post!
I have a similar feeling about this film. There was nothing groundbreaking or startling about this film (except for that moment when the police arrive!) but it was done so well that it made an impact.
For a long time Tom Wilkinson’s character just seemed like a loon, but there was that one scene with Clayton where he explained exactly why he couldn’t be committed which showed perfectly that he WAS a brilliant lawyer. A great example of show not tell.