George Clooney tries hard to lose himself in the title character, unfortunately he just can't get past being "Clooney". He has a few strong scenes but he has reached a point in his career that makes it very difficult to lose himself in a role and that sabotages the gravitas of the film. The story is strong but complicated and forces the viewer to pay attention to fully appreciate it. The payoff at the end is strong but the film itself tries too hard to be "important".
Sydney Pollack does his one note acting as the head of Clayton's law firm. Tilda Swinton has too few scenes to really work up a sweat although she does save her best effort for the final moments. Tom Wilkinson never disappoints and does a great job as a lawyer who may be losing his mind.
Similar to the TV show, "Damages", "Michael Clayton" is a legal thriller that never sees the inside of a courtroom. It's a clever twist on the legal genre, concentrating on the characters involved in the case, rather than the case itself.
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