Post by Rey Kahuka on Aug 1, 2018 19:00:45 GMT
My favorite Clooney film precisely because it's the anti-Clooney film. He isn't cooler than the room, he's somewhat sullen and just beat down by the monotony and moral ambiguity of his job. He just looks mentally exhausted in every scene, it's fantastic. The only time he shows a spark of the Clooney charm is his speech to Tilda Swinton at the end, where his character is deliberately overselling the drama to get a rise out of her on record.
Ironically, I feel the OP is complaining about exactly what makes the film great: it's not about anything in particular. It's a story following a corporate fixer muddle through his unremarkable life. He doesn't want to take down the corporation for poisoning people or even for killing Arthur. He just wants to not get blown up. The company's downfall is really just a means to an end (survival) for the main character. The A plot and B plot are only involved peripherally for 90% of the film. Clooney is the protagonist but he isn't the hero or even an anti-hero, really. He's just kind of there. Love that film.
OP, try watching it again sometime now that you've seen it once. No expectations or preconceived notions about what the story should be doing and instead focus on what it is.