Go see it — in my opinion it’s one of the best movies Clooney has ever done. It gets off to a slow, somewhat disorienting start with an apparent voiceover that makes very little sense. Stick with it. It gets better quickly.
Clooney is a former ADA who works as the “fixer” (some say “janitor”) for a huge law firm. He’s the guy who gets clients—and other lawyers—out of trouble when it looks like they’re screwed. The firm has invested six years defending an agrochem company against a class action suit. The lead attorney is bipolar, off his meds, and his meltdown during a deposition is both spectacular and caught on tape.
Clayton is struggling with his own problems. He’s a recovering gambling addict, and a bad business deal has him owing nasty people a lot of money. He’s divorced, on the outs with part of his family, and driven by a job he doesn’t particularly like but excels at.
I won’t say more than that. Part of the joy of watching this movie was discovering what it was all about. It’s not fast-paced, but it’s exquisitely filmed in dark hues and somber moods, and it has a few jump-in-your-seat surprises. The final scene, shot over the closing credits, is a testimony to Clooney’s chops, as he wordlessly processes what just happens and goes through the entire spectrum of emotions. It could easily have been overacted. The minutest curl of his lip for a smile is brilliant.
I do have a plot question for anyone else who happens to see the movie. The scene with the horses is clearly a mirror of the illustration in his son’s book. But what prompted him to take the alternate road that led him to that field? I got the feeling that I either missed something or else an explanatory scene was clipped from the movie during editing. He seemed to be going there deliberately, but how could he have known the horses would be there?
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