Michael Clayton – The movie’s tag line is “The truth can be adjusted” and when it needs adjusting they call in Michael Clayton (George Clooney) the law firm’s fixer, or as he calls himself “the janitor” – the man who cleans up messes. But when the office’s chief litigator (Tom Wilkinson) cracks from the truth, after spending six years defending the reputation of a weed killer that he knows has killed hundreds – a case that makes him seem like an accomplice – Clayton suddenly has his hands full. When he’s not answering to his boss (Sydney Pollack) Clayton’s dodging the defense of this six billion dollar lawsuit headed by Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton). Swinton’s performance is flawless, fluctuating between nerves of steel and bag of nerves. Directed and written by Tony (“Bourne Supremacy” Gilroy) he delivers an utterly perfect movie that makes Gilroy a star in his own right. This is the first film to be an Oscar threat this year. Not since the well-crafted “L. A. Confidential” meets “The Firm” have we seen a legal thriller this good. But more than that, Gilroy delivers a Clooney we’ve never seen. Unlike his usual showman-self/animated prankster, Clooney is calm, quiet and humbled as the drama and characters somehow move around him in a menagerie of brilliance. Four tiaras
