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Screenwriter Tony Gilroy's directorial debut has become the fall's most burnished, acclaimed reminder of the conscience-stricken '70s suspense drama, a tale of corporate malfeasance and its ethics-killing twin -- the legal cover-up -- seen from the point of view of a law firm's fix-it guy, played with broodingly intelligent relish by Oscar winner George Clooney. It's been slowly building its box office stature -- more than $33 million taken in so far -- and has impressed critics with its mixture of murderous tension and thought-provoking character drama. Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times called it "a crackerjack tale of suspicion and anxiety ... that understands the secret pleasures of showing how the powerful operate when they think no one is looking."

The corruption thriller has enjoyed a long history with Oscar -- from Sidney Lumet's '70s oeuvre to "All the President's Men" and this decade's "Erin Brockovich" -- so Academy voters could easily warm to this in the big categories of picture, actor (Clooney, an Academy favorite), cinematography (rich-texture expert Robert Elswit) and director. Gilroy's chance at original screenplay is maybe the surest bet of all, considering the film's wise, tough dialogue and nail-biting structure, plus his elevated cachet as the adapter of the successful Jason Bourne films. Other possibilities include indie favorite Tilda Swinton for a supporting actress nom as the corporate defendant's legal rep, and former nominee Tom Wilkinson as a colleague of Clooney's with a shaky grip on sanity.

Only helping the film's case is its relevance to today's headlines, where boardroom misdeeds have become more commonplace.

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