Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2170 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-18
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 115 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
George Clooney already has one acting Oscar to his name, and it’s unsurprising that immediately after the release of Michael Clayton, there were many arguing he was deserving of a second. For without a doubt, as impressive as the film is, it’s very much Clooney who powers this one forward.

Written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who previously adapted the Bourne movies for the big screen, Clooney takes the title role as a lawyer who goes in to do the jobs that, bluntly, nobody else wants to know about. And before long, Clooney discovers a cover-up that proves to be a mighty challenge to uncover, and one the inevitably conflicts him as a result.

Aided by a superb supporting cast that includes the likes of Sydney Pollack, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton at its best is a tense and effective thriller, written and directed steadfastly well by Gilroy. It’s not without a few problems, most notably a comparably weak conclusion and one or two underdeveloped characters. But it’s still a worthwhile film, and very much worth seeking out to simply enjoy a terrific performance from a Hollywood leading man who absolutely refuses to shy away from edgier roles. Long may he continue to do so. --Jon Foster

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 firm. A former litigator, Clayton has found a niche that capitalises 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 defence 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 woman 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.

Customer Reviews

Slow-burning masterpiece of corruption
This film takes time to build its characters, which must be why it has garnered some less positive reviews. Take the time to get involved - it's worth it. There IS a compelling storyline, and this, combined with first-class performances from Clooney, Swinton & Wilkinson, works to produce one of the best films to come out of America in years.

If you need crash, bang wallop every frame instead of every sixth frame, watch something else; for those with an interest in strong characterization, psychology and just a little social comment, sit back and enjoy.

Mature, intelligent corporate thriller
George Clooney is once again excellent; his acting is as effortless as the charm of his character, the legal 'fixer' Michael Clayton.

Clayton's suit, car and office scream "big shot", but he's actually a professional and personal failure: divorced, addicted to gambling and in debt to some unseen unsavoury characters. His employer, a prestigious Manhattan law firm personified by Sidney Pollack, regards the 'working-class boy made good' as a highly-effective janitor, but nothing more. In short, Clayton is a smooth-talking, immaculately-dressed disaster zone.

A bad week for Clayton gets even worse when his friend and senior colleague Arthur Edens (played by a somewhat OTT Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown. Edens has spent years defending a toxic weedkiller made by agrochemical giant U North. His evasions and changes of venue have dragged out the case, earning his law firm millions while prolonging the agony of farming families affected by U North's carcinogen. But Eden's mental collapse causes a Damascene conversion, prompting him to secretly (then not so secretly) switch sides.

Clayton unsuccessfully tries to contain the situation while U North's highly-strung, ruthless chief counsel (Tilda Swinton), has more radical plans. Swinton's role is rather less interesting - a caricature friendless, obsessive career woman - but her verbal sparring with Clooney is fun. The whole film is beautifully shot and draws you into a rich world of Upper East side apartments owned by wealthy lawyers, Westchester retreats owned by their even wealthier clients, Clayton's down-to-earth family of cops and U North's sterile corporate videos.

Clooney acting seriously for once
A slightly over-long but nevertheless intriguing legal thriller of interest to those who enjoy TV dramas such as Damages. Michael Clayton is a fixer for a prestigious New York law firm who uncovers corruption within a multi-billion litigation suit that promises a huge pay-off for his employers and upon which an international merger depends. George Clooney hugs the camera just a little too often for my liking, but he's forgiven because he plays the part dead straight in a role that was probably more demanding than some of his more mainstream narcisstic characters. He's at his best when in films such as Syriana and this one, because it's not long before you forget he's George Clooney and instead become immersed in the acting and the story.

Tilda Swinton is excellent too, but another stand-out contribution is that performed by Tom Wilkinson, who at last seems to have honed his 'American' accent to the extent that he sounds legitimate (unlike his past attempts such as In The Bedroom). There's very little humour of any kind, it's all very much an actor's piece with masterful direction by the writer, Tony Gilroy, who penned the Bourne trilogy as well as Armegeddon, Proof of Life and State of Play, among other high-profile films.

It is a little confusing at first, but it's worth staying the course because it rewards for its intelligent script, high tension and suspense, and in particular its character depth.