MICHAEL CLAYTON — *** — George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson; rated R (profanity, drugs, violence, vulgarity)
"Michael Clayton" was written and directed by veteran screenwriter Tony Gilroy (the "Bourne" movies, among many others), which may explain why this legal/dramatic thriller considers dialogue to be a premium.
Yet, despite all the film's plentiful talk, it never feels overplotted or convoluted ... or really all that talky. In fact, it's a rather taut, well-plotted and directed feature.
If not for one gaping lapse in logic toward the end, it's almost perfect. So it's definitely a quality vehicle for the top-notch cast, which is led by George Clooney.
He stars as the title character, a "fixer" for a prestigious New York City law firm. As such, he's asked to help clean up messy cases by whatever means necessary (at one point, the character likens himself to a legal "janitor"). And his latest assignment may be the trickiest ever.
One of the firm's best attorneys, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), has had a pretty ugly meltdown before settling a lengthy class-action suit. That could cost the firm millions, and the pesticide manufacturer Arthur is supposed to be representing already has its top shark, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), doing her own version of damage control.
So it's up to Michael, a longtime friend of Arthur's, to minimize the damage without ruining his fellow litigator's career and livelihood.
Gilroy's screenplay paints Michael's personal and professional conflicts in morally gray shades, though the film's color palette contains considerably warmer hues than that. He also provides terrific material for his cast.
Clooney is as good here as he's ever been, while Swinton is properly oily. Wilkinson's part may be the trickiest, but his performance is not forced and never too over the top. Filmmaker Sydney Pollack, who helped produce the film, also has a notable supporting role as one of Michael's bosses.
"Michael Clayton" is rated R for strong sexual language (profanity, crude slang terms and other suggestive talk), drug content (references, including cocaine, antidepressant use, and hypodermic needles), and some strong violence (a violent abduction, as well as explosive mayhem). Running time: 119 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com