Best Picture of 2007
3.5/4 stars

High powered attorneys, corrupt in house counsel, and "fixers" working in law firms create interesting food for the movies which is a unique twist to a somewhat typical movie genre. Much of the films concerning the subject matter of law usually culminate in a dramatic trial. This movie never sees the court room.

About a well respected attorney in a prestigious law firm. Michael Clayton doesn't quite work as an attorney. He uses his legal knowledge and skills to clean up messes the firm gets into, hence his identity as a "fixer" or the negative connotation of the "janitor". A senior litigator who is working on an important case for the prestigious law firm has a nervous breakdown and goes nuts due to the moral scruples he develops from his many years of hard work on a particular case. Michael Clayton is called in to save the day for the firm and its client.

An interesting portrayal, whether real or sensational, of how far the high powered players will go and how minuscule their scruples are.

The story is well crafted and interesting. Everything comes together nicely in the end. The movie provides us with inferences and clues as to where the characters are going to end up after the movies conclusion. The movie will resonate with you, as you piece together the inferences to come to conclusions about the characters' futures. So you obviously care about these characters whether hoping for the best or the worst.

From the opening voice-over by Tom Wilkinson's character until the final frame, this movie holds your attention and you feel the true magic of the cinema. Tightly edited, beautifully filmed, brilliantly acted--there is very little one can criticize. Clooney is perfectly suited for the lead character, the one lawyer at the firm who does more work outside the courtroom than inside; the protector of the firm with a conscience. There is a scene somewhere around the middle of the movie where Clooney runs into the center of a field and 3 horses stand there---the camera moves in to a close-up of the horses, with haunting music in the background--and at this point, I realized that I didn't ever want the movie the end.

The story is also riveting and will definitely hold your attention. It is a complex storyline, but not so complex that you get totally lost. Most of the characters are neither purely good, nor purely evil, but somewhere in between. Even though Tilda Swinton's character is ruthless, there are moments where the viewer feels sympathy for her, like when she rehearses some of her lines for a meeting in front of a mirror. If you were not lucky enough to see this at the theater, run go rent it now! It is one of the best movies to have come out in years.

You would think that a high powered "fixer" for such a huge organization would come across as sharp, quick, confident, with a swagger and style, - "the man". However, what was interesting was that he wasn't like this at all. Michael Clayton is not happy with what he is doing; he wants to be a real lawyer and has his own moral doubts about his work. Clooney does an excellent job portraying the characters tired, overworked, confused and unassuming persona. The movie could have been better if it delved more into this interesting character study.

Overall an interesting story and twist on the lawyer genre portraying the dark side of attorneys. An interesting unconventional character was created.

And it was certainly better than "No Country for Old Men", that review can be found on my channel. This movie should have won best picture 2007.

Review by Wolfman