OSCAR-nominated movies tend to be of a certain type.

They are painted on a canvas of epic proportions, with pointilistic attention to detail and have the beauty of a watercolour landscape. And often they are like watching paint dry.

The Oscar-nominated Michael Clayton is a riveting and intelligent thriller with sparkling performances and a tremendous script and it deserved all the acclaim it was given.

George Clooney plays the eponymous hero, a fixer for a top law firm used to making things happen through slightly dodgy channels. When his friend and fellow lawyer Tom Wilkinson goes a bit nuts in the middle of a multi-million dollar case, Clooney is called in to clean up the mess. He ends up involved in a dirty and ultimately dangerous conspiracy.

Wilkinson, and Tilda Swinton as her client, are both outstanding in this film. Swinton particularly deserves her Oscar for a performance that is multi-layered and enthralling when her character could have been pretty two dimensional.

Clooney and his usual, effortless, Cary Grant-esque charm glue the film together nicely and is the latest in a string of very good performances.