The Best Movies of the 21st Century (No 23): MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007)
Michael Clayton was released in 2007. It was the Directorial debut of Tony Gilroy. It received 7 Academy Award nominations and Tilda Swinton won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It was ranked by the New York Times and Rolling Stone as one of the Top 100 films of the 21st Century. Roger Ebert gave it 4 Stars and Richard Roper named it the best movie of 2007. The critical acclaim was universal and its commercial popularity is reflected in strong scores on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. Therefore, my selection here is not revolutionary or particularly unconventional. It is not a reach. Perhaps a safe choice, but a good one. PLUS, George Clooney’s best acting performance ever.
I confess some surprise at the movie’s popularity and staying power. It is not a simple story - not a titanic battle between good and evil or a shoot em up with great special effects. It is subtle- a tone not honoured in the current American social media landscape. The screenplay is intelligent, the themes are morally complex and the performances are bold and nuanced. There is a lot going on in this movie and it its not all black and white- lots of greys. It arrived in theatres marketed as a legal thriller about corporate malfeasance. Instead, the movie went deep-a disturbing examination of the moral ambiguities at the heart of the American system. It is an unflinching portrait of moral erosion and decay- with a dose of redemption at the end. It asked fundamental questions- what are the costs of being complicit in a corrupt system? When are pragmatism and realism a cover for moral bankruptcy? At what point does the sum of our compromises become who we really are? If we lose our soul is there any chance to reclaim our identity and principles? Tough and thought provoking themes! Fascinating and unforgettable characters power the narrative.
George Clooney is Michael Clayton, a lawyer “fixer” for a prominent New York law firm. He is a fundamentally decent man who has spent years cleaning up the messes created by the firm’s high powered wealthy clients. He doesn’t practice “law” in the traditional sense. Clayton describes himself with brutal honesty as a janitor and later tells a thug, “I am not the guy you kill. I’m the guy you buy.” Clayton has personal baggage. He is divorced and shares custody of his young son. He is in debt to loan sharks because he partnered in a restaurant with his gambling addicted brother. He has an awkward relationship with his other brother, a tough and honest cop. Clayton works as fixer because he is good at it and he needs the money. He is not amoral, but his obligations encourage his complicity in questionable schemes. He convinces himself that he can navigate the corruption without compromising his identity. The situation becomes overwhelming. Supporting performances deepen the confusion. Sydney Pollack’s Marty Bach embodies the logic of the system- these are the rules, grow up. Tilda Swinton is an ambitious corporate counsel who becomes a sociopath before our eyes. She is so devoted to her company that she orders murders with the same dispassion of approving a marketing budget. All in a day’s work!
The film’s most radical character is Arthur Edens, a masterful trial attorney played brilliantly by Tom Wilkinson. After six years of successfully defending an agricultural conglomerate he knows is guilty of mass poisonings, he has a “breakdown.” He strips naked during a deposition. He stops taking his bipolar medication and begins speaking in religious terms about truth and redemption. BUT- is Arthur’s collapse really a breakthrough? What if going crazy is actually evidence of a functioning moral compass? The film never simplifies this. Arthur’s bipolar disorder is real and his mania is dangerous. But his sudden inability to defend corporate murder is a sane response to an intolerable situation. In a world where poisoning entire communities is swept under the rug to preserve profits, perhaps going naked in a parking lot is an act of moral clarity, not madness. A corrupt system requires Clayton and Arthur to suppress their humanity and unfortunately, recovering your humanity may dictate losing your mind.
The film is mesmerising on the power differentials inherent in our world. The uneven playing field is merciless. Arthur is murdered when he is perceived as a threat. When Clayton first comes suspect, Karen’s first instinct is to eliminate him too. The message is the powerful don’t play by the rules; they write the rules but exempt themselves. The system maintains itself through subtle means. The firm is held together by relationships, handshakes, favours and institutional loyalty. The film depicts the law as living under the influence of a moral anesthesia. Practitioners gradually become numb to the human consequences of the work. Take a retainer from a questionable client- it’s just business. Bury some inconvenient evidence-it’s just legal strategy. The attorney- client privilege guarantees silence and complicity - after all we have a fiduciary responsibility to our clients. Michael Clayton shows evil can sneak up on you- often just requiring ordinary people making what seem like reasonable decisions.
The film has a bittersweet ending. Clayton springs a trap on corporate counsel, wears a wire to a meeting and elicits damning evidence of outrageous corporate behaviour. He becomes a fixer one more time- but instead of fixing the problem for the corporation he fixes it for the victims. Arthur’s death had liberated Clayton’s conscience. Clayton departs the scene in a taxi- with no destination. He has probably destroyed his career and made some powerful enemies. He is also broke. We don’t see what happens with his relationship with his son or family. Perhaps doing the right thing is vindication- even redemption for a life of complicit and compromises.
Finally, in preparing my list, I rewatched many of the films. Michael Clayton was one of them. It has aged remarkably well. If anything corporate excesses have metastasized. We live in an era where pharmaceutical companies fuel opioid epidemics, fossil fuel companies fund climate denial and tech giants do essentially whatever they want- no matter what the cost of their bottom feeding social media platforms. Where is Michael Clayton when we need him. Wait, I saw him at the Academy Awards with his gorgeous wife. Well played George!
