There’s only one thing Washington has more of than bad traffic: lawyers. So the relatively sophisticated legal thriller “Michael Clayton” ought to play very well here.
It’s got the glossy appointments of a big Hollywood studio’s take on the genre. The filmmakers crusade on behalf of a politically correct populist issue — in this case against a corrupt polluter, a giant agri-business conglomerate knee-deep in a cover-up. It features articulate, rapid-fire dialogue face-offs between and among dark-suited pragmatists. And it’s got — yo, gals! — George Clooney.
Say what you want about that middle-aged hottie of all hotties. Clooney is more than just a charismatic, skilled leading man. Even while portraying an aloof loner here, he remains a sympathetic presence on screen.
And as a savvy producer, he surrounds himself with a pool of the best character actors, a smart writer-director who specializes in heightened suspense (Tony Gilroy, a screenwriter on all three “Bourne” movies), and a narrative about personal and professional moral dilemmas that remains engaging throughout.
The plot ends up going just where you expect it to, and the protagonist’s backstory and motivations are oversimplified. But Clooney calibrates his title character’s disaffection well.
He’s a former litigater who has become his major New York City law firm’s “fixer,” aka janitor. It is his job to surreptitiously “clean up” the ugly messes made by important clients or partners to keep the billable hours tolling up without convictions or scandal.
His distasteful duties begin to become untenable, however, when Michael is drawn into what will become a deadly conspiracy. Brilliant firm bulldog Arthur Edens (the amazing Tom Wilkinson) stops taking his bipolar disorder medication and has what appears to be a mental breakdown during a deposition in a multi-year, multijillion-dollar class action lawsuit. This sets off a series of events in which Arthur subverts the firm’s fiduciary duty to defend the company U-North. Instead, Arthur actually becomes a whistleblower in favor of the mom-and-pop farmer plaintiffs who blame his client for introducing carcinogens into the ecosystem and killing off family members.
U-North mouthpiece Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) will go to any extreme to protect herself and the company. The law firm’s lead partner (Sydney Pollack) wants Michael Clayton to help her out and to keep quiet. But then things go too far.
“Michael Clayton” follows the blueprint of attorney escapades “Erin Brockovich,” “A Civil Action” and “The Firm” by giving stars the opportunity to brawl dynamically in favor of proletariat social justice. Here, at least, the far-fetched action set pieces and story manipulation go toward well-crafted entertainment.
‘Michael Clayton’
****
Starring: George Clooney
Director: Tony Gilroy
Rated R for language including some sexual dialogue
Running time: 120 minutes
