Michael Clayton: I'm not the guy you kill. I'm the guy you buy! Are you so fucking blind that you don't even see what I am? I sold Arthur for 80 grand. I'm your easiest problem and you're gonna kill me?....... You're so fucked. Here, let me get a picture while I'm at it.
Michael Clayton is a fixer with a powerful law firm who works behind the scenes to clean up his clients' mess. They call him a miracle worker, though he prefers to believe he is just a "janitor". He drives the company's Mercedes and doesn't even have $75k "just lying around" even after being with the firm for 17 years. It's a failed restaurant business and a divorce that's to blame.
The movie starts with Arthur Eden (Tom Wilkinson), the firm's star lawyer, deciding that he is no longer going to defend UC North in a lawsuit after finding evidence that could be damning to UC North. He snaps in a meeting and takes off all his clothes while threatening to blow the whistle. This can turn out really bad for both his and Michael's boss, Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack) and the law firm's business. Michael doesn't really believe that there might be a problem with UC North but the fact that Arthur might not be taking his medications. UC North's legal attorney, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), lays out all the cards on the table and they would make it look just like Arthur is crazy and he has no case here.
Michael is not too sure whether he is Arthur's friend first or he needs the $80k more when Marty agrees to pay the money. Of course, the money comes with strings attached. We won't know whether he would have stayed loyal to his friend or his boss if certain things hadn't happened. But he seems more pissed off with the agri-firm making an attempt on his life.
Michael Clayton is the directorial debut for Tony Gilroy and he does a decent job at it. Of course, we all love George Clooney in those suits, though he is not as wealthy in this movie as he looks. I can't remember if I have seen Tilda Swinton in a similar role before, but I think if ever there is a role for a cold-hearted manipulative bitch, she should be the perfect person to play that (I'm actually praising her performance here). It's scary to think that corporations might be willing to go to that length to protect their reputation and it's not just fiction. The Insider was based on a true story.
Rating: 7.5/10
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