Underwhelming

Saw Michael Clayton over the weekend. Have to say, I was expecting it to be better. First of all, Tilda Swinton is hardly in it but to listen to reviews, you'd think she has a starring role. Also, the cutting between threads, while narratively interesting, makes it very difficult to get emotionally attached to any aspect of Clayton's life, which is part of the point, but still is a problem for the film. One of the themes is "who is Michael Clayton" but even the very barest of definitions of who he is, an effective "fixer," isn't borne out by events. The movie has moments, especially certain performances, but this is one of those movies that looks more important than it is.