The mystery/drama “Michael Clayton” is a flashback film that opens with a shot of Michael Clayton (George Clooney), a “fixer” for a major law firm. While playing poker, he gets a late-night phone call from a customer.

Clayton goes to help the customer who says they were involved in a hit-and-run accident. He explains that he can’t help in that situation. While driving away, he spots three horses on top of a hill. He walks up the hill, and a few minutes later his car explodes.

The film flashbacks to four days earlier. One of his best friends, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), is arrested for indecent exposure in a parking lot during a $1 million class-action suit. It’s up to Clayton to clean up the mess for the firm as quickly as possible. He has to do that while dealing with a divorce, a gambling addiction, and his restaurant going bankrupt. On top of all that, he wants to leave the firm.

This is a great film to watch more than once. The cast, the writing, and the style of the film are what I enjoyed the most. There are impressive performances by Clooney, Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton.

The film received seven Oscar nominations, but only Swinton won best supporting actress. The writing is exciting because you can’t figure out what is going to happen next.

Some of the most unusual things I like about the film are the beginning and the ending. The beginning doesn’t have any opening credits so the movie starts and never stops. I really enjoyed the ending and how the director shot it. For fans of the mystery/drama or Clooney, this is a worthy rental.

Rating: 4 out of 4