The film opens with the voice of a man urgently telling a story. It's an explanation of sorts and the meaning of which we won't fully appreciate until much later in the film. Similarly, a shot of a woman lawyer (Tilda Swinton) sweating profusely in a bathroom stall is initially unclear in its meaning. We also get a quick introduction of Michael Clayton (George Clooney), a lawyer who's been called in to "fix" a problem with a very rich and very important client who's just left the scene of a hit and run. Clayton has been described as a miracle worker, but he considers himself little more than a glorified janitor cleaning up other people's messes. But Clayton is about to find himself in the middle of a mess. We get a hint of the severity of that mess when his car blows up and he's nearly killed.
