2008 Woodie Awards
'Clayton' gets nods
Thriller nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture
Jim Gilmore
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: The Mix
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Assigned to take care of attorney Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), an attorney who's suffering a mental breakdown while managing one of the firm's biggest cases, Clayton stumbles across a corporate conspiracy that stuns him and forces him to make a series of decisions that will shake the foundation of every principle he's established for himself. What follows is an often complex, and constantly entertaining thriller with bold performances and sharp writing at its center.
Out this week on DVD, "Michael Clayton" is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actor for Clooney's performance.
Clooney truly deserves the nomination and sinks his teeth into a role that exudes elegance and classiness on the surface. Underneath, however, we see that Clayton is struggling with a divorce, a gambling problem and increasing debt.
Clooney does a great job at balancing all these traits, melding them together and fusing them with his almost patented likability. He pairs up excellently next to Tom Wilkinson, who was also nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
Wilkinson's portrait of a manic attorney seems ridiculous on the surface - he flails his arms, babbles nonsense and his eyes look like they're going to pop out of his head - until you realize that maybe what he's saying has some grains of truth to it.
He not only dominates each scene he's in with the sheer forcefulness of his acting, but he gives the film a distinguishable soul, acting as the catalyst that spurs Clayton's quest for moral righteousness.
Tilda Swinton fills out the ensemble as another attorney for the 'evil' corporation. Her performance is subtle, but like the rest of the cast, she reveals the tensions between personal and professional life. It is this tension, and values and characteristics that make up the dimensions of people's lives, that run through Tony Gilroy's screenplay.
The question he asks the audience and shows through the actions of Clayton, is what to do when the principles of one's profession collide unexpectedly with personal values? This question is thankfully not laboriously examined in the script.
The entire movie is very smart and very well paced and the writing is fluid and precise. Gilroy, who also directs the film, shows a keen sense for making mature and efficient decisions that make the movie instantly accessible.
He fills the movie with shades of classic 1970s American thrillers, evoking movies that rely on interesting characters as well as a sturdy plot.
The film is very well crafted, never losing the audience as it navigates the plot, providing for constant suspense throughout.
Both entertaining for its terrific plot and ensemble performances, "Michael Clayton" is a welcome alternative for people who like their thrillers rich in character.
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