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Movies / On DVD / Michael Clayton
Michael Clayton

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Michael Clayton (2007)

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Reviews Counted: 183

Fresh: 165

Rotten:18

Average Rating: 7.7/10

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.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language including some sexual dialogue.

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Drama, Law/Lawyers, Thriller, Mental Illness, Divorce, Theatrical Release

Theatrical Release: Oct 12, 2007 Wide

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 behalf of a prestigious New York City law... 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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Release:

Feb 19, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
  • Dolby Digital 2.0
  • Subtitles - English (SDH), French, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Additional Scenes
  • Audio Commentary - Tony Gilroy - Writer/Director; John Gilroy -

Reviews for Michael Clayton

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
10/18/08
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
NPR
Ratings Image

Grisham for exceptionally bleeding hearts

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

Michael Clayton definitely has its heart in the '70s.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
05/01/08
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC
Ratings Image

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

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

A killer voice-over by Tom Wilkinson sets the tone for this dramatic thriller, and you're willing to go on the journey even if you don't understand it all the time.

Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review | comment Comment
03/03/08
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review
Ratings Image

The cast is outstanding, with Clooney giving the strongest performance of his career, which says a lot since he already has an Oscar

Full Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review | comment Comment
03/01/08
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
02/22/08
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Ratings Image

Clooney's glamorous intelligence is deepened by his constant hints that slickness, like corporate integrity, is just an act.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
02/22/08
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly
Ratings Image

A straight-ahead suspense melodrama, complete with villain and a climax with satisfyingly clean lines. But Gilroy constantly elevates the material with surprise gifts. [Blu-Ray review]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/20/08
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
Ratings Image

Each new viewing brings something fresh and insightful with it.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
02/05/08
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image

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

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/30/08
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

Michael Clayton, The Re-Release: Suits in deadly combat may not sound like the ideal setup for an action thriller, especially if the labels are of the pricey designer variety. But hey, this is George Clooney, who isn't half bad no matter what he's wearing

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
01/25/08
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
01/18/08
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
01/15/08
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Ratings Image

Un drama en clave de thriller sobre la corrupción corporativa, a medio camino entre El Informante y Erin Brockovich. Estupendo debut en la dirección del guionista Tony Gilroy.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
12/25/07
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
Ratings Image

Gilroy demonstra segurança invejável na condução da narrativa e na concepção estética do filme.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
12/06/07
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image

...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

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
11/30/07
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image

"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
Cinerina
Ratings Image

Michael Clayton is that scintillating and rare pop-culture creation, a thriller about character.

Full Review Source: Baltimore Sun | comment Comment
11/22/07
Michael Sragow
Baltimore Sun
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Michael Clayton

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...

April 03, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Clooney Suits Up For Football Fun
George Clooney, the Mayor McCheese of Hollywood, leaves behind Oscar season and returns to the big screen with lighter fare with the period sports comedy Leatherheads. More...

See More Topics...

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