Does It Look Like He's Negotiating?!

Is George Clooney this country's moral conscience? With a string of socially relevant films that I typically don't see (Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana, The Good German, etc.), he's fast become Hollywood's voice of outrage and proponent for deep self-examination. And instead of yapping his gums in real-life public forums, he channels his anger and his hope for a better world into movies.

Michael Clayton is the latest entry in the George-Clooney-rage-against-the-machine genre. Depsite the fact that I found it boring (more explosions and car chases please—I mean, c'mon it's a Friday afternoon, and I need my adrenaline pumping!), I did like it quite a bit. The film, helmed by Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, has an ominous undercurrent that runs throughout this story of corporate malfeasance and the evil that men (and women) do. It makes you want to scream "Shame on you!" at someone, anyone, and it makes you want to punch things.