Reaction: Michael Clayton

Did not know what I was walking into - except that this was one of those lawyer movies. George Clooney takes a turn at the legal-drama field playing (as usual) the role he's so good at: a variant of himself.

What surprised me was how well, the character of Michael Clayton fit the events in the film. He's a smart and somewhat desperate man trying to keep everything from unraveling around him.

Secondly, I was surprised at how well the movie kept my attention. Sure I couldn't help glancing at the time (because I was curious where this movie was headed as it meandered around). But when a movie starts with a climax and then tells you, "4 days ago..." Well, very few other than Quentin Tarantino can do non-linear story-telling.

Basically the movie revolves around what Clayton, a law-firm's unofficial trouble-shooter, as he attempts to regain control of a partner who's gone nuts for lack of medication. The case was a class-action suit against a large pharmaceutical company (or something; ultimately it's not important). But well, the situation quickly disolves into chaos as the company becomes desperate to salvage their defense by any means necessary. What's a lone operative to do?

This is one of those films that I would highly recommend, but also neatly falls into the category: "I'm not likely to ever bother watching it a second time." I'm just being brutally honest there.