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Movies / Upcoming / Michael Clayton
Michael Clayton

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Michael Clayton (2007)

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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... 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 behalf of a prestigious New York City law firm. A former litigator, Clayton has found a niche that capitalizes on his legal acumen and shrewd people skills, and yet, after 13 years on the job, finds himself increasingly disgusted with his clientele. The film covers four pivotal days of his life, in which a midlife crisis and a crisis of conscience neatly converge when he is called in to "fix" a situation unfolding in one of his firm's hottest cases. Brilliant lawyer Arthur Edens (another powerhouse performance by Tom Wilkinson), representing a huge agro-chemical corporation being hit by a class action suit, has a bipolar breakdown, compounded by guilt over his defense of a company that is probably in the wrong, but is wealthy enough to buy its innocence either way. The company's CEO (Tilda Swinton) will stop at nothing to keep Edens from sinking the case. Clayton must decide how much of Edens's mad rebellion against the company is sheer mental illness, how much is true, and how much it will cost him to do the right thing. Clooney delivers a rich performance as a hangdog and haunted man who wants to stay on the side of good, but is a little too skilled at moral margin-walking to make that an easy choice in every situation. Swinton glows as a secretly frail Amazon who somehow won't let a tortured conscience prevent her from getting ahead. The final third of the film is as suspenseful as any courtroom drama, without ever resorting to legal-thriller cliches. [More]

Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack

Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack

Director: Tony Gilroy

Director: Tony Gilroy
Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy
Producer: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, Steve Samuels, Kerry Orent
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Reviews for Michael Clayton

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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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.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/15/08
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The 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.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
10/26/07
Paul Byrnes
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This 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

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/13/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There’s a great George Clooney film in here somewhere, but you have to look mighty hard to find it.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
09/28/07
Daily Mirror [UK]

Hipster filmmakers keep looking backwards to the 1970s, hoping to disguise how ill-equipped they are to deal with contemporary social issues.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
10/03/07
Armond White
Armond White
New York Press

Legal miracle workers or "fixers" hide simple truths behind a calculated barrage of extraneous smoke and mirrors, which is exactly the tactic screenwriter-turned-director Tony Gilroy employs for his directorial debut Michael Clayton.

Full Review Source: european-films.net | comment Comment
09/01/07
Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net

Michael 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.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment 5 Comments
10/22/07
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

Grisham for exceptionally bleeding hearts

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/09/08
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

There's nothing sadder than a prestige picture that just doesn't work, because these kinds of films so rarely allow themselves to have fun.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
10/05/07
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Malo je gledatelja koji od prve ne%u0107e shvatiti tko su u filmu pozitivci a tko negativci.

Full Review Source: Index.hr | comment 1 Comment
04/10/08
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Index.hr

Despite an exceptional performance by Clooney, Michael Clayton is like watching a drawn-out third act that left the really compelling stuff back in the first two.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/04/07
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Equates serious inquiry with inert filmmaking

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/27/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

It's invigorating and impressive on a formal level, but ultimately wearying.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
10/04/07
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday

Gilroy's goal is to create a smart, literate thriller, and while Michael Clayton is smart and literate, it isn't thrilling.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
11/07/07
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Money hungry men in nice suits stopped being cool in 1982, and Michael Clayton doesn't do enough to bring it back again.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment 1 Comment
09/05/07
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

"Man, I could be doing my laundry," I groused, as Clooney looked deep into the camera's eyes and gave me nothing.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
11/22/07
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

Dude, there’s a bomb in your car.

Full Review Source: Reeler | comment 1 Comment
10/10/07
Keith Uhlich
Keith Uhlich
Reeler

So bogged down in plot that it has little in the way of suspense.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment 1 Comment
09/29/07
Kevin Courrier
Kevin Courrier
Boxoffice Magazine

So: the crazy people are the truly sane ones. Does this sound more like a complex 70s thriller or a dizzy 60s dream?

Full Review Source: KyleSmithOnline.com | comment Comment
10/01/07
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
KyleSmithOnline.com

Think old chewing gum with a masculine flavour.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
09/28/07
Lorien Haynes
Lorien Haynes
Little White Lies
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; Australian critics are listed first)
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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 Opens in new window
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...

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