Michael Clayton was released right in the middle of George Clooney's 15-year run of remarkably successful filmmaking. From 1998 to 2013, the charismatic star--who so often played it best when he played it weary--acted in, directed, wrote and/or produced some of the best projects around. He got money, awards...or both. And in Tony Gilroy's directorial debut, Clooney is intense and he's just terrific as a law firm's "fixer". He's assigned to try to talk down mentally-ill super-lawyer Tom Wilkinson, who's tanking a lawsuit because he discovered wrong-doing by the company he represents. Tilda Swinton won an Oscar for her oddball, yet still restrained performance (restrained for her, at least) as a fixer for that evil-doing company. Gilroy's complex throwback to '70s legal thrillers is one of the very best dramas of the Aughts. So admire some horses and scarf a dozen or more loaves of fresh bread while you fire up the 709th episode of Have You Ever Seen.

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