Corporation destroys lives and hides its crimes; a hero employee can no longer deny their conscience and takes on the beast. We’ve been here before, at least in cinema. (The heroism part is less common in the real world). That Michael Clayton is nevertheless riveting is a credit to the tight scripting, unobtrusive direction, and fine performances—Clooney, to be sure, but Tom Wilkinson even more so. And the incongruence between obvious plot and successful drama is itself a message. Michael Clayton leaves a lingering disquiet. This is our world, our economy, again and again. That it feels like a thriller—that it can feel like a thriller—speaks to art as both tinder and sedative. What if the crimes of the powerful were no longer acceptable as entertainment and become, simply, intolerable? 8
Michael Clayton, directed by Tony Gilroy, performances by George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton, Warner Bros., 2007. Reviewed July 9, 2025.