I just saw this and I feel like it did deserve an Oscar nod. It had some aspects that seemed really played out for a legal thriller/drama, but also had enough edge and great dialogue to set it apart. I was impressed.

It's okay. Generally rather unremarkable.

I liked this movie a lot, Tom Wilkonson was really good in it, and the movie felt like a smarter version of the Bourne movies.

I'd agree. I won't protest the Oscar nod, but Into the Wild and Zodiac would have been better choices.

agreed. i wasn't as impressed with MC as i expected to be after reading reviews.

See, I disagree. The formal aspects maybe (what I meant by played out) but the tone of it was really great, and there were enough small touches (like the opening and closing) to set it apart. I would never give it an award for being interestingly shot or anything, but as a critique of the darkest inner workings of American business, it was very effective.

I agree it began and ended very, very well. But that tone is not carried through the whole film, and that's the problem. The mid-section is tedious. With the exception of...

Spoiler: show

...the murder scene, which was very, very effective.

Yeah it was. The efficiency was ridiculous.

I need to rent this...but after i saw it in the theatre, i thought, for what it was (legal genre thriller with social implications), it worked. wilkinson and swinton were great...clooney is the center piece for these foils to flesh themselves out. big budget/studio picture in the mix with the other nominees isn't that surprising...it won't and shouldn't win, but i think within its own limitations, such as direction or being a genre piece, it was still effective and enjoyable

I watched it this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. I skipped it in theaters and didn't go in expecting too much but it was a pretty good movie. I was worried it would get caught in the same trap that a lot of Clooney's stuff has where it tries to make a statement on business or the legal system and becomes overcomplicated to the point of being boring. This one seemed to focus on having a good story first and letting "the message" just fall into place on it's own.

I took it as a story about spiritual awakening, but clearly it's more of a legal thriller - and a good one. Well paced and acted, I didn't find it tedious at all. The ending was rather too straight-forward other than the showdown between Swinton and Clooney. In that case, the audience still had it relatively easy. Whatever. I also thought it was a much more damning critique of capitalism and corporate deception than There Will Be Blood, without comparing the two any further. There were no real villains, and the situation with the lawsuit was more about one-upping and out-talking rivals without moral ramifications, rather than the script pointing out the obvious and overly simplisitc "evils" of the entire system. Basically ordinary, hardworking people (like Swinton) get caught up in forces beyond their control, and Arthur's solution was to just surrender to it. Except that he was "crazy" in society's sense, and society's solution was to put him on pharmaceuticals. Clooney gets out of trouble because he's more sensible, and plays his role with a pretty sharp sense of logic. I guess the scene with the horses in the field was his brief grace with the divine.

Anyway, I'd probably watch this again.

I really loved this. It's refreshing to see a film that relies on writing and performance, with a good dose of solid direction and and effective score. I loved the mood and tone of this, the slow boil of the storyline and character arcs, and the understated "thriller" aspect. I wouldn't consider it a thriller, but I was riveted for every minute. Tom Wilkinson is fantastic and Clooney is solid as always.

good movie... good ending.

Very straightforward movie and very, very well-made. I liked it a lot.

I just do not like George Clooney.

i guess i got my moneys worth at $5.50 for pay-per-view.

"you're so fucked"


i really enjoyed this, clooneys best imho

this movie really didn't do too much for me.

oh man!

i still gotta see this shit!

This was completely excellent, imo. Beautiful cinematography, great script (the voice-over at the start, juxtaposed with the images, was amazing) and superb performances all round. Yes, it deviates from the usual crime thriller. It's more artful, more emotional content rather than 'plot.' But that's all good in my opinion as crime thrillers usually bore the shit out of me.

Spoiler: show

To have a single bomb blast in a crime thriller is a brave choice, but incredibly effective. Want an event to be memorable, make it happen once. Most thrillers forget they are supposed to be delivering a story, and fill the last half hour with superfluous explosions, gunfire and running around aimlessly. None of that here. It's finely crafted.