Clayton’s own personal life is in tatters; divorced and trying to scramble together a few thousand dollars to pay off his brother's gambling debt, his soul is empty and a late-night gambling addiction has shackled him to a dangerous debt. And, while on location fixing another client's vehicle accident woes, his car blows up - someone is trying to kill him. It is at this low point that he faces the trickiest moment of his professional career: covering up Edens' larger-than-life nervous breakdown.

Rather than a corporate conspiracy thriller, the movie is more a character study showing the disruptive effect of years of swallowed disappointment. But this is really Clooney’s stage here. One could make the case that he’s just playing a GQ version of his disillusioned Syriana role, but it seems to work for him.

There’s a refreshing bravado and charmer's glint intact behind Clooney’s unreserved back slapping. His character is the kind of guy who sacrificed everything for his career and realized too late it was a bum deal. It's an arresting performance to be sure - muscular and pain-racked to the core.