Michael Clayton

4/4 stars

My first impulse when I began writing this review was to praise Clooney's performance, but it dawned on me that any attempt to do so is regrettably compromised by the fact I have yet to see some of the work he is most reknowned for, an oversight that I am now hastened to remedy. In the meantime though, I will say that this is the best performance I have ever seen George Clooney give. His forceful yet measured persona stands in contrast to the manic, loquacious realization that Tom Wilkinson provides for the best supporting role of 2007; and both are effective enough to stand out in a movie that is superb on many levels. While it doesn't deliver a particularly strong emotional punch, Michael Clayton is powerful in its technique and its gripping plot. As the end credits begin to roll, the camera stays with the title character, seemingly not wanting to look away. I sympathized; the writing here is so crisp, the direction so mesmerizing that I didn't want the movie to end. For the first time since last year's The Departed, I found a movie that I immediately wanted to watch again.

Written February 20, 2008.