michael clayton

i saw this movie on a whim. i remember it coming out this past fall, but not really knowing anything about it. i had some time to kill, so i figured id give it a shot.

the movie itself is about a guy who works for a law firm whos life isnt exactly in order. there is a class action lawsuit going on against a company where they are being sued for putting bad chemicals in the ground. the huge law firm that is handling the case has been working 12 years on it, trying to wear down those suing the company. one day the head lawyer just cracks. he realizes that this is a terrible thing and doesnt want anything to do with it anymore. he goes crazy in front of court officials. the company fears that this will hurt their case, so they send in someone to fix it for them. in comes george clooneys character. hes kind of the janitor who comes in to clean up any messes that arise. hes very good at what he does, but he is having a hard time cleaning up the messes in his own life.

the story is quite interesting, and the character arcs are very compelling. we really see the struggle that both men go through with who they are and what they do. there is a little bit of time jumping as well (we see events happen, then jump back a few days to see what lead up to it). it was at times confusing, but it seems like that was a bit intentional. the character doesnt know the whole story, so we are left out a little bit as well. it is a twisty tale that is told, but the ending is incredibly satisfying.