“Michael Clayton”

OK, I know…enough with the movie reviews, right? Sorry, but “Michael Clayton” was so damn good I had to blog about it. Ever since we first saw that kick-ass movie poster — blurring George Clooney’s face? Shocking! — Christine and I had been wanting to see this flick, and man, was it worth the wait!

One of the most dense, fascinating films we’ve seen in a long time, “Michael Clayton” sucks you into it’s vortex almost from the first shot. It’s a little slow (methodical slow NOT boring slow) and it’s probably not for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for a killer puzzle of a movie, this is it.

Playing a spectacularly flawed “fixer” for a major law firm, George Clooney shows his chops in ways we haven’t seen since his masterful, Oscar-winning turn in “Syriana”. You wouldn’t think it to look at him, but Clooney plays semi-tragic losers like nobody’s business. And he is on fire here. Really amazing!

And the supporting cast is equally stellar. In probably his most nuanced, soulful performance ever, Tom Wilkinson (“The Full Monty”, “In The Bedroom”) is a virtual lock for a supporting actor nod. He is crazy-brilliant here and his wild-eyed rants are absolutely thrilling to behold. But our favorite performance in the movie belongs to the always luminous, Tilda Swinton.

The portrait of brittle, cocky desperation, Tilda Swinton’s conflicted Karen Crowder is the star of the show. Watching her peel back the layers of this lonely, insanely misguided career woman is as exciting as movie acting gets.

Whether playing the dowdy hausfrau discovering her sensual (not to mention fully nude!) side with Ewan McGregor in the underrated “Young Adam” or playing the coolest angel Gabriel ever in the stunningly bad “Constantine”, Tilda Swinton has built a career playing this type of coolly composed ice queen, and watching her unravel here is…wow…just incredible! Seriously, just give this chick an Oscar already.

And to top it all off, this movie was directed by a screenwriter! Yeah! First-time director Tony Gilroy (“The Devil’s Advocate”, the “Bourne” movies, “Dolores Claiborne”, etc.) said he was sick of seeing his scripts ruined by lesser directors and wrote this movie for himself. Right on! You did a bang up job, brutha!

I know it’s been out for a while, and hasn’t exactly gotten the biggest push from the studio, but if you’re looking for a complex, adult night at the movies, “Michael Clayton” is your man!