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| Michael Clayton | 
| Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  215 reviews
Sales Rank: 11355
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 120 minutes
ASIN: B00149KENO
Theatrical Release Date: October 12, 2007
Release Date: October 20, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
A Piece Of Art Emerges From A Corporate-Driven Industry February 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In Hollywood, a "fixer" is someone who is brought in to clean up another filmmaker's mess, referring more often than not, to Script Doctoring to create snappier, more succinct dialogue. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy's quietly observant style would lend itself well to such a task, molding a mature subject matter in such a way that he exposes the grit beneath a situation unnervingly but always allows his audience to draw their own conclusions. Not to imply Gilroy based "Michael Clayton" off his own experiences within the entertainment industry, it still comes as no surprise that his directorial debut would feature a title character who is somewhat of a fixer himself.
As a man with dollar signs in his eyes, George Clooney's Clayton is the guy his powerful corporate New York law firm goes to when they need a problem to go away. "Michael Clayton" centers on a three-billion-dollar class-action lawsuit that goes wrong when the firm's best litigator (Tom Wilkinson), himself, unravels. The firm doesn't want to win the case, but it is instead obsessed with generating as many billable hours as they can by leaving it hanging like a 2004 Chad. Enter Clayton.
Clooney plays the sure-of-himself power player with his usual crooked smile and cockeyed charm but also increasing awareness that he is selling his soul to a company that has no qualms about eliminating him with as much ease as he eliminates their problems. What is unique about "Michael Clayton" is that Gilroy allows his audience an inside look at Michael Clayton, the man, and Clooney is allowed to explore the conflicting sides to his character. When he is with his brothers (Sean Cullen and David Lansbury), both who are just working guys, he comes across as extremely down-to-Earth-- a regular guy who has his troubles just like anyone. However, scenes which have him face off against the head of the firm (Sydney Pollack) illustrate an almost cartoonish legend of a man--- someone who has been immersed in such extreme circumstances for so long they begin to believe some of the hype. Gilroy makes the very bold, very apparent political statement that we are all capable of corruption and greed with a certain amount of power.
"Michael Clayton" was produced by Clooney's own Section 8, a production company also partially owned by Steven Soderbergh and both men seemed to have greatly influenced Gilroy's directing style here as the film's timeline is fragmented, creating a much more intensely suspenseful thriller.
A well-crafted, intelligent thriller February 1, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a well-written and more importantly, well-acted movie that keeps viewers on their toes from start to finish. Michael Clayton [George Clooney in yet another of his trademark brooding roles] plays a 'janitor', a fixer of messes and awkward situations at a law firm run by Marty Bach [Sidney Pollack in a fine performance]. One of this messes involves getting his respected, but manic depressive colleague, Arthur Edens [a very credible Tom Wilkinson]back on track after the latter is charged for indecent exposure whilst at a deposition involving a chemical company.Arhtur's character is quite complex - he decides that his conscience will not allow him to represent the chemical company anymore, and turns out he has been working against the very people he is supposed to represent. Michael's firm is not the only one who wants Arthur under control. Tilda Swinton plays a highly ambitious Karen Crowder, lead counsel at UNorth , the chemical company being represented by Michael's law firm and is utterly ruthless when it comes to protecting her position at the comapny. Her character is played almost flawlessly by Swinton-her nervous gestures,her obsessive compulsiveness, the conflict between doing what is ethical and what is right for her, all of these are portrayed in a very credible manner.
The story really gets off the ground after a main character dies, and the action starts to pick up pace, leaving viewers wondering how everything is going to be set right, if ever.
The plot is quite convoluted, but well-written so that viewers are able to follow the disjointed storyline. The cast of main characters are all complex and flawed people, even Michael himself, and the excellent quality of acting really elevates the movie to above average.
All in all, this is a simmering potboiler of a movie that will intrigue and invite reflection.
 Give me a Break!! This is a long and drawn out waste of time. February 1, 2008
7 out of 40 found this review helpful
I've seen many, many movies...good ones and not so good ones. For me to take the time just to write a review for this movie means that it is either incredibly great or awful. Unfortunately the answer is the later. My wife and I saw this film during a vacation. My wife wanted to see this movie. After sitting there for about an hour, she was begging for us to leave. We didn't. I was hoping the movie would pick up the pace and get to a point. Well, it didn't.
Oh I'm sure some of you wackos will get something out of this movie, but for the rest of us...the ordinary, average American who goes to the movies for entertainment and a chance to get away from our ordinary lives this movie is horrible.
Feel free to take your chances with it if you want to waste some money.
Good movie, but best picture material? February 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a good movie. Solidly written, nice performances. No complaints. But I'm not sure what elevates it into the Best Picture category in terms of what I saw on the screen.
Of course, the politics of the Academy are another thing :)
Gray Matter for a Gray World January 31, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this film. When it was over, I wanted to see it again (always a good sign) and look more closely at certain scenes. There is such a pervasive gray backdrop to the movie that you might think you're watching something from Ridley Scott and it works nicely here. We're talking about dark nights of the soul, so I don't think it's an accident that many scenes take place at night, and if it's daytime it's gray. There's little in the way of cheery sunshine to comfort us.
George Clooney is Michael Clayton, a lawyer for whose specialty is janitorial work-- he cleans up nasty situations that often require calling in favors from the right people to make things disappear. With corporate accountability at an all-time low in the real world, everything that U/North (his firm's big chemical company client) is trying to do is quite believable, even murder. After being called in to help clean up a potential $6 billion mess, Clayton's biggest asset (anonymity) becomes his biggest liability-- even the bad guys he's trying to help don't know who he is, which makes him a target too.
The result is a very hairy four days for Clayton. Every character we bump into is sweating tension from every pore because everyone is plugged-in in some way. Everyone has something at stake, especially Clayton himself. Tom Wilkinson plays Arthur Edens, chief lawyer on the $6 billion lawsuit who's off his meds and apparently three fries short of a Happy Meal... or is he? Clayton's job is to get him back on track before all hell breaks loose, but maybe there's no way off this rollercoaster except by jumping.
A great movie starts with a great script. Great scripts tend to attract great actors. The combination of the two often means great performances. Sprinkle some good direction over the concoction and you've got a winner. I think you'll enjoy this one.
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