Clooney is just one of a stellar cast perfectly suited to their roles, with Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and Sydney Pollack sharing his command of the material whenever they're on screen.
Comment
01/15/08
Michael Clayton (2007)
90
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:189
Fresh:170
Rotten:19
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: Michael Clayton is one of the most sharply scripted films of 2007, with an engrossing premise and faultless acting. Director Tony Gilroy succeeds not only in capturing the audience's attention, but holding it until the credits roll.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Law/Lawyers, Thriller, Mental Illness, Divorce, Theatrical Release
US Box Office: $48,976,323
Synopsis: Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is what is known in the legal world as a "fixer," or in the character's own pejorative version, a "janitor" who cleans up legal messes for VIPs and corporations on... [More]
Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack
Director: Tony Gilroy
Reviews for Michael Clayton
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticThe film doesn't disappoint. It's an enveloping thriller with a cool intelligence, the kind of film Redford or Newman would have jumped at 15 or 20 years ago.
10/26/07
Top CriticThis gripping jigsaw puzzle of a movie about ethics jump-starts our pulses, luring us into the world of corporate lawyers, big business and how the dirt gets swept away
10/13/07
Top CriticMichael Clayton wants it both ways. It requires smarts to understand what's going on, and a lack of smarts to care and not be able to predict the outcome.
10/22/07
The strength of the film is Tom Wilkinson's performance as a bipolar lawyer who stops taking his medication and has an epiphany of sorts.
10/20/07
Malo je gledatelja koji od prve ne%u0107e shvatiti tko su u filmu pozitivci a tko negativci.
04/10/08
This doesn't begin to deserve the Oscar nominations it’s likely to get, but I had a good time with it nonetheless.
10/11/07
Money hungry men in nice suits stopped being cool in 1982, and Michael Clayton doesn't do enough to bring it back again.
09/05/07
Dude, there’s a bomb in your car.
10/10/07
So bogged down in plot that it has little in the way of suspense.
09/29/07
Michael Clayton literally knocks its brains out trying to be clever, but it ends up being the same kind of smart-alecky filmmaking most of Mr. Clooney’s movies are famous for.
10/03/07
It is just about perfect as an exercise in the genre. I've seen it twice, and the second time, knowing everything that would happen, I found it just as fascinating because of how well it was all shown happening.
10/05/07
Top CriticSome might see the dark cinematography, the protagonist pursued by demons, and the slow, wordy, incoherent story-telling as tense. I looked at my watch a lot.
10/08/07
There’s a great George Clooney film in here somewhere, but you have to look mighty hard to find it.
09/28/07
Not a bundle of laughs but a brilliant and compelling drama. This is Clooney at his very best.
09/28/07
Michael Clayton is the adult antidote to a torrent of monotonous gobbledygook devoid of poignant messaging.
10/05/07
Michael Clayton is an assured, intelligent thriller, the kind that never depends on clunky exposition and differentiates its heroes and villains only by the choices they make during the film.
10/05/07
Michael Clayton definitely has its heart in the '70s.
05/01/08
Clooney's glamorous intelligence is deepened by his constant hints that slickness, like corporate integrity, is just an act.
02/22/08
a thriller of the most sophisticated type, playing the macrocosm of Clayton's professional problems against the microcosm of the soul he thought he had conveniently compartmentalized
01/30/08
Latest News for Michael Clayton
May 11, 2009:
RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
One of the most diverse and celebrated talents of her generation, the directors on Tilda Swinton's CV represent a veritable who's who of independent cinema and include David... More...
May 27, 2008:
Sydney Pollack: A Retrospective
With two Oscar wins and plenty more nominations under his belt, Sydney Pollack was a filmmaker that Hollywood admired. He was also a proven actor's director whose fruitful... More...
May 26, 2008:
Sydney Pollack dies aged 73
Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor, Sydney Pollack, dies aged 73. More...
April 11, 2008:
Script Review: Tony Gilroy's Duplicity 
Tony Gilroy's follow-up to Michael Clayton -- the Clive Owen/Julia Roberts-led Duplicity -- is filming now, and Latino Review is offering a review of the script. More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Virtuoso Vistas of The Lovely Bones
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
Wes Anderson on Fox
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win G.I. Joe Prizes
DVDs, toys and more to give away from the hit action film.
Win Wild Things Tickets
Free double passes to join Spike Jonze's wild rumpus.
Win 9 tickets
20 double passes to win to the new animated film, produced by Tim Burton.
IGN RSS Feeds