Michael Clayton

Review from The Bleacher Bum

Michael Clayton (Pay Per View) - This movie eluded me for some time because I could never find another soul that wanted to see it. I finally had to go at it alone. I am glad that I did. The movie is about a "fixer" (George Clooney) at a mega-law firm in New York. He is a lawyer that circumvents the law instead of practices it. He does the shady deals, buys off the politicians or judges, gets things, and loses evidence to win cases. The firm greatly needs his services when its lead litigator (Tom Wilkinson - excellent) suffers from a mental breakdown in the middle of the firm's biggest case. The case is a class action lawsuit where 460 people were stricken with cancer because of a weed killer. ("Erin Brockovich" with a touch of "A Civil Action.") Clooney is extraordinary. He is heroic, lost, cunning, and downtrodden all at the same time. The movie partially loses its way because the background story is boring and underdeveloped. Also, the antagonists of the movie are less than dynamic. However, it is a movie that will be enjoyed by lawyers, business executives, and persons that work in public relations. It deals with several issues that arise in corporate America.

Bleacher Bum Movie Scale:
Homerun
Triple
Double
Single
Strikeout

Michael Clayton: Double