Michael Clayton

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Michael Clayton ★★★½ 2007 (R)

The titular Clayton (Clooney) is a ruthless, conflicted “fixer” for a giant law firm—the guy you bring in to do whatever it takes, no matter how unethical, to secure a win for the firm. When Clayton's friend and top-notch litigator Arthur (Wilkinson) suffers a breakdown over a pollution case where their client is clearly in the wrong, Clayton's boss (Pollack) tells him to fix the problem, but Clayton can't help but see just how in the wrong his firm truly is. Unfortunately, he's too good, and in too deep, to give it all up. The ending is in doubt right up until the final, powerful scene. A heady, fascinating exploration of a world where people spend so much time inhabiting grey areas, they've forgotten what black and white look like. 119m/C DVD . US George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Michael O'Keefe, Jennifer Van Dyck, Ken Howard, Robert Prescott; D: Tony Gilroy; W: Tony Gilroy; C: Robert Elswit; M: James Newton Howard. Oscars ‘07: Support. Actress (Swinton); British Acad. ‘07: Support. Actress (Swinton).

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