Michael Clayton

This didn't make a whole lot of money when it was released in theatres last fall, which is a shame because for my money, it was the Best Picture last year. Anyone who saw some of the old 70's thrillers along the lines of 3 Days of the Condor should really appreciate this movie as it's cut from the same cloth. No car chases or gunfights, but the title character gets into some deep shit throughout the course of the story, even though he's not aware of it until it's almost too late. I know it's popular to knock George Clooney as being nothing more than an empty shell of an actor, but he's fantastic in the roll of a man who's lost his moral compass, but begins to find it again. Tilda Swinton walked away with the only Oscar the movie received, and she very much deserved it, her final scene is phenomenal. Tom Wilkinson is also amazing as the mentor/friend of Clooney's character whose breakdown sets the plot in motion, and the late great Sydney Pollack delivers his usual solid work as Clooney's boss. Not a movie for people who don't appreciate intelligent dialogue or a story you actually have to pay attention to, but if you like that from time to time, give this one a chance.