2007, USA
Crime, Drama, Thriller
It is always important to read the fine print when selling your soul to the Devil. Life deserves a fair market price, and the expiration date has a way of becoming smudged.
Writer of the Bourne trilogy, Tony Gilroy, takes a stab at combining pen with camera by writing and directing Michael Clayton. The film peers into the life of the hidden cogs of master corporations. Michael Clayton is a fixer for the prestigious law firm Kenner, Bach & Ledeen. Arthur Edens is a senior litigating partner at KB&L -- an elevated fixer who labels himself a janitor. Karen Crowder is the general counsel for u/north, a company hoping to settle KB&L's class action lawsuit consisting of farmers who have been using their chemicals.
Each stands to gain a great deal from a smooth outcome to the case, or so they have convinced themselves. Despite their important status behind the scenes and under the rugs, their lives show little evidence of their accomplishments. Clayton is a divorced man attempting to pay off a bad business investment which was meant to provide steadier income. Edens lives in a lonely apartment, estranged from his daughter and attempting to find a connection with one of the defendants. His manic professions of love throw everyone on edge just as the case is winding up. Crowder's sterile existence but lauded advancement depends on covering up this snafu, taking desperate measures to ensure that no crumbs are left for the cleaning crew.
George Clooney has earned a reputation for being able to straddle both slick blockbusters and thoughtfully complex films, with this story falling into the latter description. As Clayton is sent in to quiet Edens, he begins to question the law firm's motives and his own. Clooney is appropriately conflicted as Clayton without being overly sensitive. Though his character's conscience gnaws at him, he has wandered the path of denial for so long that he also has a price. Denying his former dreams for battling in court instead of outside of it, he forgoes aspirations in exchange for a glorified reputation that ultimately signifies nothing.
With a story so tight and the solutions so dirty, no character is black or white and no actor inept. Tilda Swinton skillfully portrays Crowder, a woman with so much at risk that she nearly crumbles at the thought of failure. Standing nervously on the precipice of greater things, she tensely pursues the last resort first. Meanwhile, Tom Wilkinson masterfully portrays Edens, a man who finds clarity in his most incongruous moments, driven over the edge by a lifetime of lies. Wilkinson avoids the usual depiction of insanity and instead allows logic to drive his character's dementia.
What ultimately falls to a single piece of evidence is surrounded by complex characters who must decide whether they prefer a shredder to their principles. With so many people depending on them to do the wrong thing, there is little incentive to do right. It is a scheming world out there, and the road less traveled can be riddled with remorse.