Michael Clayton

Since his beginnings as an ER doc, George Clooney has developed a bit of a reputation for meaningful movie-making, consistently releasing message-filled flicks such as Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck. Michael Clayton is another feature with a moral story to tell – sadly it’s one we’ve heard before: an underdog (Tom Wilkinson) spots the evil in a big multinational farming company but no one will believe him and a struggling Clooney has to find a way to save the day – think Erin Brokovitch minus breasts.

To compensate for the wan plot, the desperate screenwriters decided to liven things up by messing with the chronology. I anxiously await the day when will this cheap smoke ‘n’ mirrors ploy becomes as transparent and derided as it should be. Added to that irritation, there were far too many random plot elements – the bizarre horse stand-off, the wayward brother, the poker addiction… And what was the bit about the children’s book? Red herring or just a load of carp?

Plot aside, the acting, camerawork and cinematography were all undeniably strong and other audience members were clearly captivated. Overall, a fair effort but undeniably a disappointing non-addition to the Clooney/Soderbergh canon.