Originals

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16. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007)

When I went to see Michael Clayton, it was because whatever I had wanted to see was sold out, and it was the next best thing.  I went in expecting lots of dry lawyer-speak, and honestly, expecting to be kind of bored.  Fortunately, the dialogue was so snappy and well-delivered from the very first line, that my anxiety soon disappeared.

In addition to it’s excellent script, Michael Clayton is a great Acting Movie, with three totally brilliant performances by George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton.  Wilkinson especially is phenomenal as a bipolar attorney who freaks out during a deposition, causing fixer Michael (Clooney) to have to clean it up.  

15. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

Martin Scorsese is the undisputed king of the Gangster genre, so when he returned to it after a lengthy hiatus, needles to say, expectations were high.  It helped that it was a remake of the excellent Infernal Affairs, and it also helped that he put together a brilliant cast, containing Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Whalberg, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen.

DiCaprio and Damon star as a cop undercover as a gangster and a gangster undercover as a cop, respectively.  The cat and mouse game being played between the two of them is wonderfully intense, culminating in a bloodbath (or two) that you have to see to believe.

Tags: Top 100, Movies