Michael Clayton (2007, USA)

Like many films of its kind, Michael Clayton feels somewhat bloodless. It's a well-crafted movie, but it lacks a driving force - George Clooney's without a doubt a strong screen presence, but he lacks the depth to make the character of Michael Clayton, and hence the film, truly meaningful. I'm quite surprised he garnered an Oscar nomination for this role - in fact, I don't think that any of the nominations, save for perhaps supporting nods for Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson, were deserved. Even in a weaker year than 2007, Clayton just isn't that strong a film. As for Swinton's Oscar win, my take is that this is something like a belated kudos for decades of strong work, in particular The Deep End and, obviously, Orlando.