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
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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... [More]
Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack
Director: Tony Gilroy
Reviews for Michael Clayton
1 - 20 (sorted by source; 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 may be his first film as a director, but here's hoping it's not (Tony) Gilroy's last.
10/11/07
I've seen a lot of legal dramas over the years; this is one of the best (if not the best) of them.
10/17/07
When Clooney is onscreen, he is magnetic, pure and simple.
10/18/07
The film's denouement is without question one of the best exercises in sustained and controlled excitement I've seen in a movie in a long while.
10/05/07
Grisham for exceptionally bleeding hearts
08/09/08
With Clooney in the driver's seat, the film tumbles forward in a snapping elastic band of tension and shuddering revelations. The movie starts off grippingly and only grows more intense and thrilling.
10/11/07
Smart and exciting, Michael Clayton takes the audience on a ride whose pleasures almost sneak up on you and are all the more satisfying because of it.
10/11/07
...a success because the actors work hard (but not too hard) to convey a sense of genuine investment in the onscreen problems, and because the rest of the behind-the-scenes technicians do immaculate, invisible work
11/30/07
...sharp writing from Tony Gilroy and an intelligent, subtly powerful performance from George Clooney.
10/05/07
Michael Clayton is an intelligent thriller that takes time to explore little crevices of character along the way ...
10/11/07
Smart and thoroughly entertaining.
10/20/07
In an accomplished directorial debut, Gilroy gives the film a shadowy, autumnal hue and combines image and sound in sometimes surprising and ingenious ways.
10/05/07
Michael Clayton is that scintillating and rare pop-culture creation, a thriller about character.
11/22/07
Clooney delivers a performance that demands what only a few in the industry can deliver--a critical, grounded turn that allows the film to savor its well-earned commercial overtones.
10/21/07
It's all very smooth, but the problem is it's also a bit anodyne and unlikely to hold up in comparisons to Clooney's other 'serious' films, whose stories have more to offer underneath the polish.
09/28/07
Clooney makes a poor replacement for Julia Roberts.
10/12/07
Solid, complex character study from the team that's single-handedly championing the genre. This one finds the ever-improving George Clooney as a legal "fixer".
10/03/07
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...
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