Shown third quarter of last year in the U.S., it still has a high rating from Rotten Tomatoes at 91%. Written by Tony Gilroy, the same writer of Devil's Advocate which is more than your average legal thriller with Al Pacino as the devil himself. Michael Clayton, even without yet reading other reviews, struck me as one of those John Grisham novels. A corporate legal battle with a few twists and turns to make the story a bit more exciting. It was successful in that way. George Clooney as Clayton acts as a "janitor" in a big law firm. His role as a janitor is very valuable as he is assigned to smoothen whatever seems to hinder winning a case.
Oscar winner, Tilda Swinton, gave a wonderful performance as the film's villain. The chief counsel for UNorth, Clayton's law firm's biggest client. Tilda as Karen Crowder looked every inch a corporate mistress. She never did any over acting. Everything was underacting in fact which made her character stand out as cold and calculating.
What I particularly love about the film is how it was framed in a flashback until it caught up where the film started. Incidentally, Lust, Caution also unfolded this way.
Michael Clayton was played up so well from beginning to end. Nobody went hysterical to raise dramatic moments. The climax of the story where Clayton was confronting Crowder was swift and savvy. The film's closure will make you feel satisfied and will actually make you feel happy for a janitor named Michael Clayton.
di ko pa napapanood, but i have a dvd of it lying around. if it's as good as you say it is, sige na nga, will find time tomorrow. but i may not be able to watch tilda without thinking the witch :)
ReplyDeleteThe with was also the first thing on my mind with the name Tilda. The movie's good, fast paced. This is the first time I have loved Clooney in his role. Magaling, magaling, magaling.
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