I was really disappointed in this movie. It was just okay. I do not agree with the level of critical acclaim is has received. It was a decent (but not great) character study. It lacked any real suspense. It was pretty simple story that tried to appear complex.
I think there were great individual acting performances, but I think something was lacking in the relationships between the story's main characters, which made it not compelling enough.
One of the biggest reasons for the lack of suspense is that the flash-forward opening killed any possibilities of suspense in the movie's later scenes. The first 10 minutes shows the audience what will happen in the end, which makes a late-in-the-movie "car chase" not really a car chase (we know where he's headed!) among other spoiled moments. So instead the end just feels long and drawn out.
I am not one who needs a lot of flashy action sequences to keep me interested in a story, so that is not my complaint. But even the psychological suspense was lacking. This movie was a story that showed Michael Clayton caught in the midst of a corrupt situation, and it showed how another character's guilt pulled him into madness. However, the insane character was already insane from the get-go, and Michael Clayton never was faced with a really juicy moral dilemma where BOTH choices are bad. I love movies where as an audience member I question what I'd do because the situation is so precarious. Instead, I was bored, waiting for Michael to get on with what was so obviously coming.
A better psychological thriller/character study involving moral dilemma is "Breach." I recommend that over "Michael Clayton" any day.
I think there were great individual acting performances, but I think something was lacking in the relationships between the story's main characters, which made it not compelling enough.
One of the biggest reasons for the lack of suspense is that the flash-forward opening killed any possibilities of suspense in the movie's later scenes. The first 10 minutes shows the audience what will happen in the end, which makes a late-in-the-movie "car chase" not really a car chase (we know where he's headed!) among other spoiled moments. So instead the end just feels long and drawn out.
I am not one who needs a lot of flashy action sequences to keep me interested in a story, so that is not my complaint. But even the psychological suspense was lacking. This movie was a story that showed Michael Clayton caught in the midst of a corrupt situation, and it showed how another character's guilt pulled him into madness. However, the insane character was already insane from the get-go, and Michael Clayton never was faced with a really juicy moral dilemma where BOTH choices are bad. I love movies where as an audience member I question what I'd do because the situation is so precarious. Instead, I was bored, waiting for Michael to get on with what was so obviously coming.
A better psychological thriller/character study involving moral dilemma is "Breach." I recommend that over "Michael Clayton" any day.