Michael Clayton(dir. Tony Gilroy)
A life of a lawyer is a life of excitement or at least that's what this film leads you to believe. Michael Clayton is essentially about a man who opens his eyes to the corrupt system that he has been employed to maintain and similar to Gilroy's most well-known previous work as a screenwriter, The Bourne series, he rebels against this system that made him who he is. You could interpret the film as a parable for us, apathetic Americans, to rise up to the man, but the film lacks the political furor of a Redacted and is just too tastefully made to arouse anyone to action. This interpretation also makes the film's resolution appear to be even more insulting because of its swift and painless ease. Clayton's delayed reaction to the happenings in his environment also seems flat-out foolish due to his intimate proximity to it. It's understandable for Americans living in their cozy homes to be apathetic about the war in Iraq, but if they were there in the middle of the shit, I'm sure they'd wake up and smell the coffee way quicker than this supposedly intelligent attorney. It was ultimately an underwhelming liberal fantasy.
** out of ****
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