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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:
 Smart, intense film...and Clooney's best performance. October 15, 2007
In the past, George Clooney has been, to me, more of a charming movie-star than a real "actor." His best performances were when he turned on the charm and the smile, such as in OUT OF SIGHT, OCEANS 11 or O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? He excels at being a likeable cad. In more "serious" roles, such as in THREE KINGS, he was helped by the sheer energy and excellence of the film itself. To me, his Oscar win in SYRIANA was more of a nod to his political stances and to his willingness to endure weight-gain and brutal back pain. But finally, in MICHAEL CLAYTON, he delivers a true dramatic performance, with depth of character and a willingness to put aside his natural charm WITHOUT having to gain weight or grow a beard. He's the George Clooney we all recognize...but he's weighed down be guilt, lack of sleep and just a general sense of world-weariness. He's feeling Weltschmertz!! His clothes are all shades of gray, his hair and even his eyes (and the bags under them). There is no color in this man's life. So Clooney's costumer has designed this external look for him...but Clooney manages to internalize it as well.
He plays a "fixer" for a HUGE law firm. He gets clients out of legal jams, and operates on the fringes of the firm. He's almost like their in-house private eye with a law degree. He doesn't really get to practice law...he just has lots and lots of important contacts. In the movie, he has been assigned to escort an attorney from the firm back to safety after said attorney (played by the always interesting and hugely underrated Tom Wilkinson) goes a little crazy during a deposition. Essentially, Wilkinson has succumbed to guilt over his role in a years-long defense of a chemical company that has probably poisoned hundreds of people with one of its products. Unfortunately, his realization has also made him careless and manic (he's off his meds)...and thus he has become VERY dangerous to the case.
Sydney Pollack plays a senior partner in the firm and Tilda Swinton plays the head in-house council for the big conglomerate. Both of them maneuver and politic like old pros (none more smoothly and effectively than the perfectly cast Pollack)...and Swinton just may find she is in over her head...and may have to resort to measures that aren't exactly legal to protect her company. Clooney is sucked in to all this mess. At first, he doesn't care too much about the case (he's got some serious financial problems weighing him down)...but as things progress, he begins to see how he's being manipulated, and how the case itself has been manipulated.
The trailers for the film don't make it look very action-packed...but all I can say is that it is LESS action-packed than that. This is a talky film. Lots of intense, sweaty, fraught conversations. But it is well-written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who makes the verbal gymnastics and subtle plot turns quite riveting. I believe that anyone aged about 21 or under would be bored silly by the film...it REQUIRES careful attention...but it also rewards that careful attention. It is a film that deals in grays, not in black and white. (Even though we know pretty easily who the bad guys are...that isn't the point...it's the journey of Michael Clayton that is gray.) You dare not even take a bathroom break watching this film...each little scene advances either the plot or the characters in critical ways.
I must also say that mid-way through the film, a murder is committed that is about as creepy and bluntly realistic as any murder in a thriller could be. It is the opposite of showy...it's quick, grimy, heartless and believable. It was a scene that sucked the breath out of the audience.
On the other hand, the only serious flaw in the film was an ending that was a bit to pat and "Hollywood-ish." The final few minutes are richly satisfying on a gut level...but when you step back just a bit, they really don't ring entirely true.
But that is a minor flaw. I give the film 4.5 stars, and will round up to 5. And this is from a guy who REALLY dislikes the "real-life" George Clooney and his simple-minded politics. But I've got to give him his due here...it's a very good performance. (Stick around for the long closing credits sequence. Clooney actually does his best work in what must have been an extremely tricky bit...and is completely silent.)
A smart, understated thriller October 15, 2007
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
"Michael Clayton" is a truly excellent film, although it wasn't quite what I expected it to be. George Clooney plays the title role of Michael Clayton, an attorney who is a "fixer" for a high-profile law firm. Basically, his job is to make sure that everything goes right for the firm all the time. Michael is obviously very good at his job, but it's also apparent that he's unhappy. In addition to all the stress he deals with at work, Michael is divorced and suffers from financial troubles as a result of a failed restaurant he owned with his deadbeat brother.
Everything starts spiraling out of control when Arthur, one of the firm's top lawyers (Tom Wilkinson), has a complete meltdown while representing a chemical company in various lawsuits. Michael comes to his friend's aid and attempts to minimize the impact that the breakdown will have on the firm. It turns out that there is a huge cover-up to deny payments to people who were injured by the chemical company's products, and Michael tries to uncover the truth in order to put the company in its place and also find a way to redeem himself and every shady thing he's helped cover up in the past. Unfortunately, the chemical company refuses to let anything stand in its way, and its ruthless attorney (Tilda Swinton) will stop at nothing to make sure the conspiracy is kept under wraps, even if it means eliminating people like Albert and Michael.
This is a great, great film. I was pleasantly surprised by how understated it was. Unlike so many movies that feel the need to throw in an action sequence or explosion every 35 seconds, "Michael Clayton" relies on an incredibly smart script that keeps the audience thinking instead of just relying on a bunch of special effects. The cast is amazing, particularly Wilkinson and Clooney, who both deliver Oscar-worthy performances. The film also managed to make me laugh on several occasions, which is quite an accomplishment considering its incredibly grim mood. (The final Clooney/Swinton scene where Michael snaps, "How about a picture to go with it?" is hilarious!)
If you're in the mood for a really smart, chilling film that is so brilliantly unlike any other thriller out there, then "Michael Clayton" is a must-see.
I was surprisingly disappointed in "Michael Clayton" October 15, 2007
After opening to such well received reviews and recommendations from friends I have to say that Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton" offered few surprises that made me made me feel much created tension.I found that the film slowly rose in action,but never to any kind of a fevered pitch.Why? Because so much is revealed in the opening scenes up to the car bombing,and then the four day flashback merely plays out what has already been shown us.I had figured all of it out and was a little bored.
The acting,though,is a different story.With all of the focus on George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson,I was frankly more amazed at the adept and frenetic performance of Tilda Swinton.She was the character that really sweated and was nervous.She was the one character that was in conflict the entire time.Clooney's character,especially the gambling backstory, has all been done before and I found the "loser" aspect to the story really not necessary to what, for me, could have been a lot more fulfilling.
Because I edit for a living,I particularly found the editing of John Gilroy lacking.There were several continuity errors that I noticed that should have been corrected:
1. The time frame for the film is 2007.This is established when Tilda Swinton gives us Michael Clayton's resume timeline."Enetred the law firm in 1990 and has been there for seventeen years, and has yet to made partner?"
But,early she says that Clayton was born in 1959.
In a later scene Clayton says he is 45 years old.He should have been 48.
2. In one of the opening scenes, Clooney is in a discussion with actor Denis O'Hare (so glad to see this Tony Award winning actor getting better film roles these days) who has just been involved in a hit and run.O'Hare is sweating profusely under his armpits and his shirt is quite stained.When this scene is reintroduced at the conclusion of the film, O'Hare is as dry as a bone.
These are always fun things to spot, but on a film of this quality, I am surprised they a were overlooked.
In conclusion,"Michael Clayton" was alright,but really offers nothing more than one look.3 +1/2 to 4 stars.
"You're a bagman, not an attorney." October 14, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Michael Clayton" is an example of a "corporate skullduggery" film in which a person of dubious moral character must decide whether to heed his conscience or fatten his bank account. George Clooney is the cynical title character, a "janitor" or fixer whose dirty job it is to get people out of trouble on behalf of his prestigious New York law firm, Kenner, Bach and Ledeen. On one occasion, he is called to an upscale home in the suburbs. There he meets an obnoxious and self-centered individual who wants Clayton to help him escape the consequences of hitting someone with his car and fleeing the scene of an accident.
Adding to Clayton's worries are his huge debts, gambling problem, ne'er do well brother, and responsibilities as a single dad. Soon, there is a new concern that requires Clayton's immediate attention. His long-time friend, Arthur Edens, is having a nervous breakdown. He refuses to take his medication and is ranting and raving that Don Jeffries, the CEO of a firm called U-North, has known for some time that the weed killer his company produces for worldwide use is a deadly substance. Edens has been working tirelessly for years to win a huge lawsuit on behalf of U-North. Now, he is guilt-ridden wants to make amends. Clayton must somehow silence Edens if he wants to keep his job and avoid personal bankruptcy.
The cast is fine, for the most part, with special kudos going to Wilkinson and Clooney. Tom Wilkinson has a difficult role; he is a man on the edge, who may be both insane and rational at the same time. Clooney underplays nicely, never settling for cheap, over-the-top emotions. He shows Clayton's dark side and makes his character's gradual transformation somewhat credible. Ken Howard, as Jeffries, and Tilda Swinton, as corporate counsel Karen Crowder, portray aggressive, ambitious, and money-hungry barracudas who would sell their grandmothers to make a profit. Sydney Pollack is effective as Clayton's increasingly agitated boss (Pollack is good at playing agitated).
The script, by Tony Gilroy, who also directed, offers few surprises. The subplots about Clayton's money woes, his relationship with his son, Henry, and his slowly dawning realization that he has sold his soul to the devil break no new ground. Although "Michael Clayton" is a spare and fast-paced film with a sympathetic protagonist and a timely theme, its predictable script keeps it from rising above the conventions of this well-worn genre.
Fixer versus Fixer October 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
2007's "Michael Clayton" is a tense and fascinating, if slowrolling, legal drama featuring George Clooney as the resident "fixer" at a high-speed legal firm, whose job it is to clean up the messes of the firm's clients.
As the movie opens, we meet Michael Clayton, a burnt-out New York attorney with a gambling problem, divorced, and in financial straits over a failed restaurant. Clayton is summoned by phone to fix yet another client's legal mess. In a tense confrontation with a client fresh from a hit-and-run accident, we get a feel for Clayton. He is cynical, practical, and good at "fixing" problems, but ground-down by the sordid nature of the work. On his way back to the city, he happens to leave his car just before it is destroyed by an explosion.
The movie now steps back four days in time. Clayton's best friend Arthur, a senior litigator in the law firm and defending pesticide giant U/NORTHERN against a three billion dollar class-action suit, suffers a psycological melt-down during a deposition. Clayton is dispatched by the law firm's senior partner (played with weary cynicism by Sydney Pollack) to "contain" the damage. Arthur (played with wonderfully manic energy by Tom Wilkinson) has had both a breakdown and an epiphany about the nature of the class action law suit. Clayton tries unsuccessfully to get Arthur safely back on his depression medication and back on the rails with their law firm.
U/NORTHERN's general counsel (a roller-coaster emotional performance by Tilda Swinton) is also playing damage control. With her position with U/NORTHERN hanging on the successful resolution of the lawsuit, she is driven to desperate measures. She engages a shadowy pair of operators who tail and wiretap Arthur, now back in New York and preparing to change sides in the class action suit. Aware that Arthur has evidence of a U/NORTHERN cover-up, she authorizes the operatives to take "the other option."
Michael Clayton is stunned to learn of Arthur's apparent suicide. U/NORTHERN's legal problems seem resolved by Arthur's rather timely death, and the law firm loans Clayton the money to buy his way out of his financial difficulties. However, a chance encounter with one of the plaintiffs in the law suit causes Clayton to question Arthur's death and the resoluion of the law suit. His investigation draws the lethal attention of the operatives working for U/NORTHERN.
As the movie circles back to the beginning sequence, Clayton flees the scene of his destroyed car, ultimately to a confrontation with the U/NORTHERN general counsel that is the pay-off scene of the movie. The ending of the movie should be emotionally satisfying for the viewer, if a little simplistic for the multi-layered drama that preceded it.
"Michael Clayton" features atmospheric shooting in the city streets, law offices, bars, and suburbs of New York City. The drama unfolds slowly but relentlessly, managing to create terrific tension without many "action" sequences. George Clooney's low-key but pitch-perfect performance is backing by a rich supporting cast, including Michael O'Keefe as the senior partner's cellphone-toting assistant and Ken Howard as the head of U/NORTHERN. A complex side-story involving Clayton's family adds depth to his decision-making after Arthur's death.
This movie is highly recommended as a very entertaining legal drama featuring some excellent acting by George Clooney.
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