One might think that George Clooney arrived on the scene a ready-made star. But Clooney’s Hollywood fame wasn’t an overnight success - he was well into his thirties before hitting the big time. After many years of anonymous television work he finally became a household name in the hospital drama ER in the 90s. Even then he spent a number of years when it appeared Hollywood was trying to discover the best fit for him: he tried romantic comedy with One Fine Day; action with The Peacemaker and a terrible attempt at the superhero genre with the appalling Batman & Robin. It wasn’t until 1998’s brilliant crime thriller Out of Sight that he truly sealed his role as a movie star. That film was the beginning of a fruitful partnership with director Steven Soderbergh, with whom he’d go on to make the Ocean’s 11 trilogy. He’s also appeared in many films from the Coen brothers, the crowning glory of which was probably the delightful Oh Brother where Art Thou? in 2000.
Like Clint Eastwood before him, Clooney has also been building an impressive filmography as a director too. Rather than choosing films to act as star vehicles for himself, he has often chosen to work on projects where the quality of the story and script has been the lure, rather than the potential box office takings. Probably the best of his directorial efforts so far is Good Night and Good Luck (2005); a beautiful black and white movie about the America journalists in the 1950s who challenged senator Joseph McCarthy. Clooney has returned to 50s America for his latest effort behind the camera with the crime drama Suburbicon. Staring Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore, Suburbicon tells the story of a family whose lives are turned upside-down by a home invasion. George Clooney’s work is never anything less than interesting and I for one am looking forward to this new addition to an already impressive body of work.
Suburbicon is screening at Kinokulture Cinema on Friday 5th, Saturday 6th and Monday 8th January at 7.30pm
By Tom Brookes
From our weekly column in the Oswestry Advertizer, published on 2nd January 2018.
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