And it's pretty good, a thriller in which the lawyer is actually the hero. Interesting that the previews always made it seem like Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a real badass fixer--like Mr. Wolf in "Pulp Fiction" (oooh, a movie just about him could be awesome!) But pretty quickly in the movie it's explicitly stated that he's no miracle worker. His skill is he knows people who can help you anywhere, but he can't even make a simple hit-and-run go away (because, well...the guy's guilty and in that situation the best you can do is get a good trial lawyer. He knows several good ones in the area, but that's all he can do). In fact, rather than the badass who controls everything, Michael Clayton is a guy who has been pretty nearly beaten by life. He lost all his money on a restaurant, he has a gambling problem, and he gave up a promising trial career with hopes of partnerhood because the firm wants him to be a fixer. To make matters worse, his good friend Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) has gone off his meds and stripped naked during a deposition (don't worry, there's no actual naked Tom Wilkinson on screen), just before he's supposed to go to trial defending U/North a fertilizer/pesticide company facing a class-action lawsuit for poisoning thousands of small farmers.
Anyway, it's pretty good. Best recurring line: "I am Shiva, the god of death!"
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