When it came out Michael Clayton cemented Tony Gilroy as a top-tier screenwriter. A compulsively watchable legal thriller, it tracks the eponymous Michael Clayton as he sells his soul for a few silver coins and then realizes he may have made a bad deal against the backdrop of billion dollar corporate lawsuits and New York fixers.
There’s a lot to love about the movie, and to learn from how Gilroy writes it. But for this we’ll focus on how his voice comes through in his character descriptions.
Character Descriptions
One of the most common spots you’ll find so-called unfilmables, character intros give you the latitude to get poetic with your writing. Doesn’t mean you have to – plenty of writers stick just with what you see and do fine. But Gilroy undoubtedly has mastered the art of an evocative intro.
Take for instance the arrival of Marty Bach, the instigator of all the trouble to come:
Gilroy could have stopped with “Big power. Sweet eyes.” That already conveys the contradictory nature of Bach – a man with power who hasn’t forgotten kindness. But he wraps it up with a bow – “A velvet switchblade”. Partially this is rhythmic – the phrase completes the paragraph in an authoritative fashion, makes it feel finished. But it also comes down to aesthetics – Gilroy conveys not just Bach but the movie itself, a thriller that still has room for art on its mind.
Another great example comes with a minor character who only appears in a handful of scenes, Anna Kysursen:
Arthur’s dairy madonna. Not only does this read as a great line but it captures in voice everything this script is trying to do – moral realization & sincerity tempered by sarcasm & irony. Which will win out?
Applying to Your Own Writing
There are a lot of lessons you can take from any Gilroy script. But here, see how Gilroy’s voice – his flourishes and aesthetic choices – complement the themes of the script itself. So as you find your own opportunities to add some spice to your script, make sure it’s in service of the story itself.