Fridae

The best offering in this terrific week's slate of films is Michael Clayton, which is really a solid character drama disguised as a commercial Hollywood thriller. Already, the film has picked numerous awards and nominations, including Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor.

George Clooney gives a career-best performance as Michael Clayton, an amoral lawyer forced to face the compromises of his life. For years, Michael has acted as a "fixer" for law firm, which means that he sometimes "arranges" or "adjusts" the evidence so that his firm's wealthy clients have a better chance of winning a court battle.

But when his colleague Arthur (Tom Wilkinson) starts to lose his bearings and sanity over a high-profile case, Michael starts to question his own morality. He realises that this may be his last chance to redeem himself...

Tightly plotted, beautifully scripted and skillfully acted, Michael Clayton is a complete triumph of cinema. George Clooney proves once again that he's more than just a pretty face, and Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton (as the firm's in-house counsel) match George's powerful performance with their own. Unsurprisingly, both Tom and Tilda as also nominated for the Golden Globe for Supporting Actor and Actress respectively.

Find time to catch this intelligent and gripping thriller. You won't regret it.