Debapriya Bhattacharya
Actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist George Timothy Clooney has played the charming leading man since the 1990s. His breakthrough role came on television, as Dr. Doug Ross in the medical drama ‘ER,’ following which he established himself as a Hollywood star in films such as ‘From Dusk till Dawn,’ ‘Out of Sight,’ and ‘Three Kings.’ George has proved his versatility across genres, with his filmography selections as diverse as ‘Batman and Robin,’ ‘Syriana,’ ‘The Descendants,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ and ‘Gravity.’ The diversity is also reflected in the films that he has directed, like the spy film ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,’ the historical drama ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ the political drama The Ides of March,’ the war film ‘The Monuments Men,’ and the coming-of-age film ‘The Tender Bar.’
George has won numerous accolades, including the Academy Awards, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Honorary César, the AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. However, his work is not limited to the entertainment industry, and notably includes political and economic activism. Clooney has been one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace since 2008, as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. If you are looking forward to streaming his works on Netflix, the following curated list will help you get started.
4. The American (2010)
Based on the novel ‘A Very Private Gentleman’ by Martin Booth, Anton Corbijn’s ‘The American’ stars George Clooney as master assassin Jack. Following an unfortunate turn of events during an assignment in Sweden, Jack is advised by his contact Pavel (Johan Leysen) to go into hiding. He chooses the Italian hill town of Castel del Monte, and takes on the pseudonym of Edward to remain anonymous. However, he befriends a local priest, Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), and becomes romantically involved with a beautiful woman, Clara (Violante Placido). The uncharacteristic move puts his life in greater danger than he expects. You can watch the crime thriller on Netflix.
3. Burn After Reading (2008)
Helmed by Joel and Ethan Coen, ‘Burn After Reading’ chronicles the misplaced memoirs of recently jobless CIA analyst, Osborne Cox (John Malkovich). When Osborne’s wife Katie files for a divorce, she leaves a copy of his personal files at the lawyer’s, which includes the said memoir. A legal assistant copies it on a CD and accidentally leaves it at the gym, where it gets picked up by employees Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt). Mistaking it as classified government intelligence, the duo seeks to make quick money from it and embarks on a series of misadventures. The black comedy film stars George Clooney as US Marshal Harry Pfarrer, a womanizer with paranoid tendencies who is having an affair with Katie. Stream the film here.
2. A Very Murray Christmas (2015)
‘A Very Murray Christmas’ is a holiday musical comedy film directed by Sofia Coppola, which follows Bill Murray playing himself, waiting at the Carlyle Hotel to perform at a live show on Christmas Eve. When a fierce snowstorm leads to most of his guests cancelling on him, Bill becomes disheartened. However, his producers remind him that he is financially on the hook if he cancels. A power outage comes in the form of a saviour, relieving Bill of his obligations and allowing him to make the best of the evening, celebrating with friends and strangers. George Clooney appears to make martinis at one point, while Bill sings “Sleigh Ride” with Miley Cyrus. You can watch the film here for a quick holiday cheer.
1. The Midnight Sky (2020)
Adapted from the novel ‘Good Morning, Midnight’ by Lily Brooks-Dalton, ‘The Midnight Sky’ is directed by and stars George Clooney as an aging scientist, Augustine Lofthouse. Set in a near-apocalyptic future, the film shows Arthur staying alone in a large Arctic base in 2049, after a major disaster has wiped out most of Earth’s population and left its surface contaminated with ionizing radiation. Having dedicated his life to finding other habitable planets, Arthur scans computer systems to find an active crewed mission in outer space, and races against time to warn them against reentering Earth. You can watch the science fiction film on Netflix.
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