There are a lot of movies that require patience, meditation, attention, and attentiveness to watch. Recently, it seems to be crowded together, such as "Assassination of Gunslinger" and "Blood is Coming". It is too suitable for people who like to consume fast food movies, but they are all very good-looking. The length of this "Michael Clayton" is not short. Although the overall level of the film is not as good as the two mentioned above, it has some merits. , Of course, patience when watching movies is indispensable.
After watching it, I feel that it is not as good as some media reviews, such as the praise of the "Washington Post"-"This suspenseful film that is extremely rare and full of wisdom in modern times reminds us of some very good ones in the 1970s. Films of the same genre, trying to elicit the difficult realism of living in the city, without losing the gentle style and moral complexity." It is also not like the pickiness of "Box Office Magazine"-"The coherence of the story" There was a problem, because there were too many pauses, and the corresponding sense of suspense was not created." However, the calm and introverted temperament revealed by the whole film, the steady and plain form of reproduction, the solid and profound performance, and the lawyers involved The psychological conflicts and emotional gaps brought about by this career full of contradictions, money, interests, and commercial flavors are impressive.
Many people can’t stand the long and arduous preparations presented in the first part of the play, but with a little patience, they will gradually get better, especially when they put the reasons for the initial part of the car explosion in a large flashback. After gradually explaining, you will find that this patience pays off. Of course, there are also people who give up watching the movie because they can't stand the large legal terms and some long and obscure dialogues in the film, so its box office in North America is not high, which is understandable. Objectively speaking, the film can withstand watching, regardless of the bold dialogue, or the interpretation of the role from multiple angles, regardless of the elegant setting of the plot or the strength of the story itself.
The title is also translated as "The hero does not ask where he comes from". Compared with the literal translation, this extended translation seems a bit interesting. As for the Taiwanese translation of "Full Attack" and the Hong Kong translation of "Hostile Complicity", it seems uninteresting and unconventional. Hit the bounds. The protagonist of the film Michael Clayton (played by George Clooney) is a special marginal man who works as an internal mediator in Manhattan’s largest law firm. Although he can be regarded as a lawyer, the essence of his work is the same "Watchdog", to say something awkward, is to do disgusting work, like "wiping the buttocks", no matter how unbearable the client is in trouble, as long as he can afford the cost of the office, Michael has a way to hide everything. All the dirty, dirty and even illegal records are cleared out, that is, the evidence that is not conducive to the client is "cleared" to ensure that the lawyers and colleagues who take over the follow-up work will win every battle, and also ensure that the firm’s business is prosperous forever. Is the winner.
Michael uses his legal knowledge to help clients take advantage of legal loopholes. This is an excellent "clean-up worker". Although not his intention, it is also due to his talent. The boss and colleagues agree that he is the most suitable for the job. "Talents". It can be said that Michael has been trapped in a whirlpool of no sense of justice and guilt, dealing with lies, hypocrisy, interests, and laws all day long. He also knows that his hands are covered with dirty things, and his heart is still not easy to remove. However, this job is what he depends on. The investment business as a back-office bankruptcy has left his 45-year-old in debt. The son who lives with his ex-wife needs him to provide alimony. So, yes Michael was helpless for this disgusting job with a good salary, even if he didn't like it, he couldn't give up. Michael also has a large decent family and a police brother with a good job performance. This often brings him invisible psychological pressure. Apart from work, his only pastime is playing cards.
The film begins at night at the poker table. Michael, who is a little bit frustrated, plays his cards, ignoring questions from his poker friends. Then he received a call from a colleague asking him to deal with the trouble of a guy who had just gotten into trouble. Facing the client, the tired and tired Michael made people lose sight of the "gold medal mediator"'s work spirit. He asked the client to surrender and surrender. The client ranted and questioned Michael's ability, and he was too lazy to defend. What happened to this "gatekeeper" that made him so dispirited? On the way back, Michael drove onto a fork in the road and came to a wilderness. In the morning light, he became interested in the three horses in the distance, so he got out of the car and went to see. At this time, his car suddenly exploded... So, the movie Started a long and complicated journey of flashback interpretation.
Four days ago, Michael’s colleague and friend, one of the firm’s outstanding lawyers, Arthur Edens (played by Tom Wilkinson), suddenly " Going crazy", not only refused to vote, but also rushed to show determination. Michael was sent to settle the riot, but he couldn't persuade the emotionally excited Arthur. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, Arthur ran away, and soon there was news of Arthur's suicide. Feeling something strange, Michael continued to search, and then discovered that Arthur was not the real cause of suicide. Arthur inadvertently mastered the important carcinogenic materials of U/North's products, which made him feel turbulent and worked as a lawyer for 30 years. Arthur, who has entered his twilight years, can no longer bear this fact, and what he is trying to protect is a company that has developed harmful products. He was determined to use this document that was enough to destroy the firm's major clients to expose the truth, and his insistence on justice also caused him to be brutally murdered.
This discovery put Michael in a dilemma, whether to continue Arthur's unfinished business, or to remain silent for self-protection, not to mention that Arthur is a lesson for the past, and Michael's moral bottom line has once again been severely tested. At this moment, Bach, the owner of the firm, suddenly agreed to give him US$80,000 and a three-year work contract. Michael, who was short of money and mad, accepted it. Karen Crowder (played by Tilda Swinton), the top of the firm and U/North’s legal counsel, decided to clear out the insider Michael after sending someone to kill Arthur in order to keep U/North. Because Michael returned from the card game early, the guy who installed the positioning and explosion system in the car couldn't do it well and couldn't detonate it in time. Unknowingly Michael continued to drive forward, and he got out of the car to watch the horse and let him escape. A catastrophe...
George Clooney is still a pursued filmmaker. In recent years, in addition to participating in the "Arhat" series, a commercial film that cannot resist showing his natural beauty and acting cool and handsome, he may produce or Participated in the screenwriter or starring or concocted several films with realistic style and satirical political and social themes, such as "Good Night, Good Luck", such as "Sirna". In "Michael Clayton", George Clooney portrays a tired man who is indifferent and silent, with a complex heart, and wandering in a gray area. Stupidity and depression always appear on the face of this man who is doing dirty work. If at the beginning the audience did not understand why he demonstrated his virtue, then at the end all the questions have been answered.
Some people don’t understand why Michael is interested in horses and get out of the car to watch. They regard this as a fault of the film and think it can’t justify itself, but personally, this is exactly the manifestation of Michael’s inner activities and multiple personalities-at that time Arthur is dead. After Michael paid 80,000 dollars for the debt he owed, he did not feel lighter, but he felt heavier. He accepted the money, which was tantamount to betraying his friend, and he had just received a commission that ranted and questioned his abilities. When the family came out, when the film returned to the narrative part and focused on the expression of Michael seeing the horse, his inner pain and suffering were unobstructed under the close-up. He caught a glimpse of the originally beautiful, free and energetic animal hanging on his body. With the shackles imposed by humans such as bridles and belts, the heavy and pain that is not easy to fade is quietly and suddenly released. Perhaps at this moment, his heart is full of mixed feelings. This is also the psychology of his decision to let go after the car was exploded. Fortunately, the ending was ideal. Michael sent the army of female lawyer Karen.
Michael is not a perfect person, not even a good person. When tested by his own interests, he will hesitate, suffer, and struggle, but after experiencing difficult psychological battles, he chose to return to the human side. The two main supporting roles of the film, Arthur and Karen are also characters with obvious personality defects. For example, Arthur is agitated and a bit crazy, and has always relied on drugs to stabilize his emotions. Karen seems to have obsessive-compulsive disorder in pursuit of success. All kinds of quirks seem to be related to excessive work pressure and huge interest relationships, and their actors Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton have successfully performed these two outstanding characters.
Karen, a female lawyer transformed from the "White Witch" in The Chronicles of Narnia, is the only female character in this drama who can share the plot and images with men. Tilda Swinton gave a wonderful presentation of the female lawyer. The unscrupulous energy of the stock, of course, she is just the so-called strong woman, working hard in the men’s world, and being a high-level person, requires her to put more energy and brainpower, she is often nervous, always before a major speech. Repeated rehearsal at home. When deciding to get rid of Michael, with the installation of the explosive system and the lens of Michael driving the car, the scene of her pale and nervous and trembling, and this editing spliced, made the audience see her inner weakness. Fear and sickness.
The film was the first director of the film by Tony Gilroy, the screenwriter of the "The Bourne" series. He was also the screenwriter of the film. When he was writing the script for "The Devil's Spokesperson", Gilroy was inspired to create this film. Directors who are screenwriters are not like their counterparts in photography or art. They usually pay more attention to the characterization and the fullness of the story. Through Gilroy's approach, the audience once again saw the actions of the high-level suit consumer groups and lawyers in the United States. Perhaps it’s not just as simple as "people are in the rivers and lakes, involuntary" and "taking people's money and eliminating disasters with others".
( Http://nicolew.blog.hexun.com/17072640_d.html )
View more about Michael Clayton reviews
