Cinema Update

Review of Michael Clayton

By Raymond Valinoti, Jr.

Right from the beginning, director Tony Gilroy alerts us that Michael Clayton won’t be light and reassuring entertainment. As we see images of a lustrous, abandoned New York City office at night, an anguished, rambling voiceover bombards the soundtrack, the voice of a man damning himself for participating in a sordid deed and tormented by guilt. We soon learn the voice belongs to Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), who for six years has been a litigator for a multinational chemical company called UNorth. This corporation is now beseiged by a multibillion-dollar class action suit brought by hundreds of farmers who accuse UNorth of selling them a toxic product. Edens, who has a history of manic depression, suddenly has a mental breakdown and flees with a document that threatens to demolish UNorth’s case.

Kenner, Bach & Ledeen, the law firm that’s defending UNorth, assigns attorney Michael Clayton (George Clooney) to find his friend Edens and get him under control. Clayton considers himself a “janitor,” whose duty is to clean up clients’ messes. Merely going through the motions in his job, he’s burnt out from financial and personal pressures. Clooney shows this weariness in his dead eyes, in his grim expression, and in the sullen, mechanical tone of his voice. Nevertheless, we see a glimmer of fiery charisma, suggesting Clayton was once a dynamic force in his profession.

Clayton is reinvorgated by the case against UNorth, but it causes him some tortured introspection. He eventually learns that despite Edens’ bizarre behavior, he’s morally justified in turning against the corporation- it actually is guilty of promoting a lethal product. Clayton is forced to confront the compromises he’s made in his career and the spiritual price he has paid. As the film progresses, Clooney believably undergoes a character transformation. The tired ennui in his expression and demeanor is replaced by a grim determination.

Making an impressive directorial debut, Tony Gilroy contributes to Michael Clayton’s success. He steers the film along in a flowing, somnambulistic way, as though the film’s entire action is a feverish dream. Among the terrific supporting players are two standouts. Tom Wilkinson gives a haunting performance as the agonized Edens, convincingly displaying both frenzied agitation and moments of pained lucidity. Tilda Swinton is compelling as UNorth’s in-house counsel Karen Crowder, anxious to silence Edens by any means necessary. She projects an air of ruthlessness while trying to hide her state of panic. Watching the film, we feel as stressed as the characters, but we’re also intrigued by the issues it raises about corporate ethics. The cinema needs more provocative works like Michael Clayton. Playing at Clearview’s Beacon Hill 5 in Summit, it is rated R for strong language, violence, and substance abuse.

Raymond Valinoti, Jr. is a resident of Berkeley Heights. He has a Master’s in Library Science from Rutgers University and is a freelance researcher. His articles on film have been published in the magazines Midnight Marquee and Films of the Golden Age. He can be reached at raymondva@comcast.net