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Michael Clayton (2007)
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Overview
Tagline:
The Truth Can Be AdjustedPlot:
An attorney known as the Fixer in his law firm comes across the biggest case of his career that could produce disastrous results for those involved. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 50 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(57 articles)
Swinton Sets Up Glamour-free Film Festival (From WENN. 9 July 2008, 5:07 AM, PDT)
Thomas McCarthy to star in Emmerich’s ‘2012’ (From screeninglog. 1 July 2008, 10:10 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Michael Clayton a different kind of thriller moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Tom Wilkinson | ... | Arthur Edens | |
| Michael O'Keefe | ... | Barry Grissom | |
| Sydney Pollack | ... | Marty Bach | |
| Danielle Skraastad | ... | Bridget Klein (voice) | |
| Tilda Swinton | ... | Karen Crowder | |
| George Clooney | ... | Michael Clayton | |
| Wai Chan | ... | Chinese Dealer | |
| Alberto Vazquez | ... | Player #1 | |
| Brian Koppelman | ... | Player #2 | |
| Thomas McCarthy | ... | Walter (voice) (as Tom McCarthy) | |
| Denis O'Hare | ... | Mr. Greer | |
| Julie White | ... | Mrs. Greer | |
| Austin Williams | ... | Henry Clayton | |
| Jennifer Van Dyck | ... | Ivy | |
| Frank Wood | ... | Gerald |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language including some sexual dialogue.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
119 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColour:
ColourAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Germany:12 | South Africa:13L | Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:6 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | France:U | USA:R (certificate #43163) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Denmark:11 | Taiwan:R-12 (original rating) | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:G (Quebec) | New Zealand:M | Australia:MA | Norway:11 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15AMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Release prints were shipped to some theaters under the fake title "State's Attorneys". moreGoofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Arthur says "I am Shiva, The God of Death". Shiva is a Hindu God, but not of Death. Shiva is the destroyer or transformer. Yama, is the God of Death. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Arthur Edens: Michael. Dear Michael. Of course it's you, who else could they send, who else could be trusted? I... I know it's a long way and you're ready to go to work... all I'm saying is just wait, just... just wait and please just hear me out because this is not an episode, relapse, fuck-up, it's... I'm begging you Michael. I'm begging you. Try to make believe this is not just madness because this is not just madness. Two weeks ago I came out of the building ok, I'm running across 6th avenue there's a car waiting, I've got exactly 38 minutes to get to the airport and I'm dictating. There's this panicked associate sprinting along beside me, scribbling in a notepad, and suddenly she starts screaming, and I realize we're standing in the middle of the street, the light's changed, there's this wall of traffic, serious traffic speeding towards us, and I... I freeze, I can't move, and I'm suddenly consumed with the overwhelming sensation that I'm covered in some sort of film. It's in my hair, my face... it's like a glaze... a coating, and... at first I thought, oh my god, I know what this is, this is some sort of amniotic - embryonic - fluid. I'm drenched in afterbirth, I've breached the chrysalis, I've been reborn. But then the traffic, the stampede, the cars, the trucks, the horns, the screaming and I'm thinking no-no-no, reset, this is not rebirth, this is some kind of giddy illusion of renewal that happens in the final moment before death. And then I realize no-no-no, this is completely wrong because I look back at the building and I had the most stunning moment of clarity. I... I... I realized Michael, that I had emerged not from the doors of Kenner, Bach, and Ledeen, not through the portals of our vast and powerful law firm, but from the asshole of an organism whose sole function is to excrete the... the... the poison, the ammo, the defoliant necessary for other, larger, more powerful organisms to destroy the miracle of humanity. And that I had been coated in this patina of shit for the best part of my life. The stench of it and the sting of it would in all likelihood take the rest of my life to undo. And you know what I did? I took a deep cleansing breath and I put that notion aside. I tabled it. I said to myself as clear as this may be, as potent a feeling as this is, as true a thing as I believe I witnessed today, it must wait. It must stand the test of time, and Michael, the time is now.
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Soundtrack:
Midnight Cocktail moreFAQ
Is the plot of Michael Clayton based on any pre-existing publication such as book or other medium?What crime did Karen implicate herself in?
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Michael Clayton is not your typical legal thriller. Oh, it has most of the standard trappings of one: double-crossing, shady back room deals, and a guilty client. But in the case of Michael Clayton, the film focuses most of its attention on the questionable moral quagmire of working for guilty clients, living your life protecting those who you can't help but find reprehensible, wanting to get out, but finding you are good at it and that is where your superiors want you. Michael Clayton isn't a revelatory film, but it is a smart one that deals in the grey world that we all live in, not the black and white one legal films are usually about.
The central character is Michael Clayton (George Clooney), a "fixer" at a major Manhattan law firm. His job entails him cleaning up other's messes, not litigating in a court room. He hates the work, but the senior partner at the firm, Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack), wants him to stay in the job because he has a talent for it. Things are not rosy for Michael right now: his addict brother has run a business venture that Michael was a partner in into the ground, leaving Michael with thousands of dollars in debt; his relationship with his ex-wife is on the rocks, and into this environment comes a whole new caliber of problem: Michael's friend, and fellow attorney, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), who is a lead attorney for a major case for the firm involving U/North, a huge, multifaceted corporation, has discovered evidence damning to U/North, and has also, seemingly, lost his senses.
Arthur begins plotting to publicly expose U/North with this evidence, thereby destroying them, something that U/North's lead corporate attorney, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), cannot allow. Michael is called in to help calm Arthur and bring the situation under control, but it becomes quickly obvious that Arthur cannot be reigned in, and Karen begins looking at far more dire methods of containment.
When you walk into Michael Clayton, you need to be prepared for a limited amount of action, and a fair amount of talk. It is a film about words and far less exciting events than found in many movies. Michael Clayton is also not the most straightforwardly plotted film. A great deal of information is suggested through inference and requires the full attention of the audience. But Michael Clayton is hardly boring. It delves into the decisions that individuals make when their livelihood depends on living in a moral quagmire. Michael is a man who is concerned about making sure that he can make the payments on a huge debt and dealing with the sometimes annoying and reprehensible people that the law firm provides its services to. Arthur is in a similar situation, but he can no longer live with himself and the protection of clients who are obviously guilty. It is debatable whether Arthur is mentally unhinged, or simply woken up to the reality of his actions and what they mean in the grander scheme of things.
Michael Clayton is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy, a longtime Hollywood screenwriter, who crafts a film that manages to keep you involved like a good thriller without providing many of the requisite elements: chases, shootouts and fisticuffs. Michael Clayton is a thriller that works at a slower pace, but still manages to enthrall with its developments. Critical to the film's success is its performances. George Clooney gives us a Michael who feels many aspects of his world closing around him and tries to keep all the balls in the air. Tom Wilkinson's turn as Arthur is that of a man who has experienced an epiphany, seeing the world like a newborn baby. Finally, Tilda Swinton's Karen Crowder is a woman who is all about appearance (one of her first scenes reveals her practicing a speech so that it will appear perfect) and ensuring that no one rocks the boat of U/North. She has sold her soul to the devil and will do anything to keep the company intact.
Michael Clayton is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. It requires a strong attention span and a willingness to not have everything spelled out for you. If you can provide that, then it is a film experience that will provide some rewards.