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Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Edens

Swinton is pitch perfect, immaculately creating a character who allows circumstances to drive her ethics, instead of the other way around, to disastrous results. When it is over, even she cannot conceive of how she crossed such a yawning gap. But it is Wilkinson who deserves the most praise. He shines as the Shakespearean fool, a flesh-and-blood morality tale whose impassioned speeches and turbulent emotional state constitute the film's moral center. It is a role that may be enough for another Oscar nomination.

Michael Clayton is not a film of pizzazz, pulse-pounding action, or fireworks. It is a deliberate and measured look at what happens when you wake up one day and realize you can no longer recognize the man staring back at you from the bathroom mirror. While the film's title is certainly lackluster, in a way it is the ideal designation. For in the end, what's important is not the case or the conspiracy. It is a man—and the choices the man makes.

Talk About It

1. The film's tagline is, "Truth Can Be Adjusted." Do you agree, or disagree? Why? Are there any circumstances under which that might be true?
2. At one point, Clayton's in-car navigation system is unable to show him the correct direction to proceed. Could the malfunctioning computer be a metaphor for anything else in Clayton's life and, if so, what does it mean?
3. While Clayton plays poker, a reckless game of chance, his son is obsessed with the fictitious fantasy book series and game, Realm and Conquest. Why does this story of epic journeys and virtuous heroes so appeal to the imbalanced Arthur Edens when he hears about it?
4. Discuss the ways in which noble intentions can erode over time, eaten away by small compromises that consume our idealism and resolve. What leads to this collapse and what can we do to prevent it?
5. What would you have done in Clayton's shoes?

The Family Corner

Michael Clayton is rated R for prevalent language and a scene during which one of the characters explicitly describes a sexual encounter. The film's solitary act of violence, in which a character is euthanized, is extremely inconspicuous, though no less disturbing.

Photos © Copyright Warner Bros.

© Brandon Fibbs subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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