
But first, as in this scene, the actors in Michael Clayton work hard to act with each other instead of trying to stage scenes for themselves. They act like a selfless bunch - enhancing each other's characters and giving the movie a crackling kinetic energy. Later yet, in a scene in which Tilda Swinton does the unthinkable and initiates an action from which there is no turning back, Robert Prescott plays his scene opposite her with a studied disposition that adds layers to her character.
And second, this isn't the George Clooney - preening, strutting and smile-smirking with a matinee idol cock to his face - that we are used to seeing. Clooney here looks dazed, lost, frustrated. In one scene that brought a lump to my throat, when he is overwhelmed by the sheer crush of events in his personal life, he stops his car to assure his son that the boy will not grow up to be a loser. Clooney's face is almost putty here - he looks vulnerable. In the movie, he changes some of his body language to reflect a weary apprehension that we normally don't associate with him.

Clayton is called in clean up the mess. Much is at stake - as is usually the case in movies like this, only director Gilroy is careful not to throw this in our faces with blaring horns. At first convinced that Edens just needs to get back on his medication and all will be well, Clayton has second thoughts as he begins to peel back the layers. Clayton's own family and their related issues are juxtaposed nicely in the movie with the events occurring around U/North.

Swinton's biggest contribution to this movie is that she plays a rather typical character in a very atypical way. Its a shrewd turn because with every scene she is able to convey her reasons for what she is about to do.
Gilroy's movie is a drama disguised as a legal thriller. But it is so well written and wonderfully executed that this take on a beaten-down genre seems fresh. Often Gilroy's unhurried sense of how to capture the action and move the narrative allows him to breeze through the (few) awkward parts of the plot.
6 comments:
Aspi, you have captured the essence of the film beautifully. I would like to see lots of Oscars go to Clooney.
Mind Rush, thanks for being with me on Hollywood. Clooney has been gathering enough good karma that the academy might stop punishing him for being a poster boy. On the other hand Daniel Day Lewis looks hard to beat in this race.
I love the Clooney! And I loved this movie which is why it kills me that it isn't going to win anything tomorrow. Sigh. The other scene that I absolutely loved was the final confrontation between Swinton (who is so awesome, they should create a special award for her the way they do for SRK every year at Filmfare) and the Cloon: there wasn't anything cool or especially clever about that scene - it was just two people squaring off and I could totally feel the emotion there.
But yes, DDL will win best actor, Javier Bardem and Ruby Dee supporting and No Country best picture. And Diablo Cody for screenplay. which makes me want to hit something much as I liked Juno.
One more thing--this film brilliantly questions society's simplistic notions of madness.
When medicated and apparently sane, Arthur Edens is an accomplice to inhumane and unethical acts. When he is in the grips of insanity he attains clarity and he says, "I am Shiva the god of death."
Terrific point Mind Rush. You should be writing reviews for us.
I've been curious about this film but haven't yet seen it as I always find Clooney's holier-than-thou roles a little irksome, and that's how it looked from the trailers I'd seen. But I've been craving a good thriller for a friday night so perhaps this is just the ticket... plus mindrush's comments on madness in this have definitely whet my appetite...
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