Prosecution Complex

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore". Even the most casual cineaste will recognize Howard Beale's oft-quoted rant from 1976's biting television satire "Network". "Michael Clayton" - Tony Gilroy's solid if not quite thrilling legal drama - aims to do for law firms what "Network" did for TV stations. But instead of a raving news anchor (played to perfection by Peter Finch) we have senior litigator Arthur Edens (played by an equally memorable Tom Wilkinson). And instead of ranting, Arthur strips. Arthur's mad as hell, alright, and he proves it by going all Full Monty during a client's deposition and monologuing about being part of a "sickness". It becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that Arthur has a lot to be sick over. His firm, Kenner, Bach & Ledeen, is involved in a multi-billion dollar class action suit on the side of U/North, an agrochemical company with some toxic skeletons in its closet.

After Arthur's breakdown, the firm immediately calls Clayton. In his day, we feel, Clayton was probably akin to the Harvey Keitel character in "Pulp Fiction". Now, though, at 45 and played with an unforeseen depth by the ever-improving George Clooney, Michael is feeling more like a "bagman", a janitor. Despite his 17 years of loyal service to the firm, he has little to show for it. No equity. And even less self-respect.

All this is only scratching the surface of Tony Gilroy's dense, richly structured script. Mr. Gilroy, who also directed, is said to have gotten the idea for "Clayton" while writing a legal film of a different kind, "The Devil's Advocate". The two films couldn't be more opposite. In "Clayton", there are no hissing villains. Yes, U/North is an evil corporation, but it could represent any number of similar companies in any number of daily headlines.

"Clayton" is executive produced by Mr. Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, part of the team that is single-handedly bringing back the complex character-driven anti-hero dramas of the 70s. And it features one of the most brutal assassinations recent memory - perhaps most notable for its complete lack of gore. This is old school filmmaking. "Clayton" may not be a classic - like their "Syriana", it's too self-consciously proud of its own abstractions - but it's still a gripping if not quite harrowing drama, and it features a stellar cast from top to bottom. Tilda Swinton adds a needed humanity to the role of in-house counsel for U/North. Sydney Pollack, an asset in front of or behind the camera, is on hand as one of the firm's partners. And comparisons between Arthur Edens and Howard Beale are a testament to Tom Wilkinson's reliably powerful performance.

But this is George Clooney's show from start to finish and again the underrated actor rises to the occasion. With each passing year in each passing role, the actor sheds the mannerisms that marred his early portrayals (the side-to-side nod, the under-the-brow glance, the barely audible whisper). Mr. Clooney was a star before he was truly an actor and it's thrilling to see the realization of that potential. Unlike Clayton, Mr. Clooney keeps improving with age.