It’s clear now that Oscar season has begun, so rejoice, for there are good movies to see!  “Michael Clayton” is one such excellent movie, along with the previously reviewed “3:10 to Yuma.”  This movie is so good that it has taken me 3-1/2-days to get over the emotional impact of this film.  The villains in this film really cheesed me off!  But onto the film.  “Michael Clayton” begins with a long rambling voicemail sent by a genius lawyer whose conscience crisis has caused him to have a mental breakdown.  Michael Clayton is sent to retrieve the sick lawyer and clean up the mess caused by his meltdown.  From there the story moves forward and backward through a series of flashbacks.  The evil corporation in this movie is very evil and their lawyer has “certain moral flexibilities” that make her think that murdering people is an acceptable way to enact cost controls.  For me this is a movie about a bunch of souless people who have sold their humanity for wealth and position.  What’s sad is that the one person who regains his humanity is declared insane.  This hit me hard and it made me very angry to think that there are corporations out there that are knowingly selling deadly products and fighting legal cases to continue to sell these deadly products.  My feeling on this is always, what are these companys fighting so hard to protect? 

Anyhow, “Michael Clayton” is an excellent and stylish movie.  George Clooney is soulful and relays his sadness very effectively through his eyes.  The evil lawyer lady — well it hard to explain — she is shown in very human moments like in the restroom where’s she upset and sweating profusely and at a hotel getting dressed, the lumps and bumps of her body highlighted — and during these scenes she’s constructing the inhuman fascade needed to get her through the moments when morality needs to be left behind.  These scenes are very effective in conveying just how twisted the world of this movie is.  I recommend this movie highly, so go see it!  5/5