Michael Clayton - Review Thread

[moviebuff801]

Michael Clayton

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

**** out of ****

"Michael Clayton" has the tone and style of a John Grisham novel at its best; the film is sleek, complicated and engrossing right from an opening voice-over given by Tom Wilkinson, who plays hard-hitting litigator Arthur Edens. But the film is not about Arthur; as the title implies, the main player in the story is Michael Clayton, an experienced "fixer" for a powerful law firm whose job it is to ensure that particular cases of interest are in the firm's favor, never spiraling outside their control.

When the film opens and we first see Michael Clayton, he is clearly a broken man. He is in debt, he has troubled relationships with his brothers, and is divorced. He drives a car that belongs to his firm and sees his son once every week for a full day. He takes part in poker games that happen in a back room in Chinatown, trying to gain $75,000 so that he can pay off a debt for a failed restaurant. And on top of all that, he doesn't have much of a personal life.

Michael is also privy to the fact that his job is not that enjoyable; he is a realist. He tells his clients the absolute truth, whether they want to hear it or not. Michael is no miracle worker, and he says so himself. "I'm not a miracle worker. I'm a janitor. The less mess there is for me to clean up, the easier it is for me." Michael's boss is Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack), a name partner for the firm Michael works for. One of Bach's top partners has just had a moment of crystal-clear revelation, causing him to then have a meltdown and strip naked in the middle of a deposition hearing in Milwaukee before chasing clients through a parking lot. The deposition hearing concerned a corporation named U North being sued for creating a weed killer that proved fatal for any person who bought it. Of course, U North refuses said claims and turns to their chief legal executive, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), who frequently butts heads with Michael.

The rest of the plot involves Michael discovering that perhaps Arthur was right in his claims and the dangerous corporate game Michael plays that he hopes will lead to U North paying for what they did.

But the legal aspects of the plot seem only secondary to Michael's life, because the film also centers around the problema and complications that arise from Michael's difficult job. We see how he feels unsure about what he does and how poker is sort of a way for him to create risks for himself, as opposed to controlling the risks of other people. Arthur Edens is an old friend of his, but now the two exchange many sharp words because Arthur has stopped taking his pills; he is bipolar. Despite being a fixer, Michael cannot seem to fix what is broken about his life.

The plotline requires you to pay absolute attention, as it goes from one complication and hindrance for Michael to the next. Things become so threatening to U North at one point, that Crowder brings in two professional killers in an attempt to permanently silence both Arthur and Michael. The movie is definitely worth seeing twice so that you can try to catch on to everything before every piece of the puzzle finally falls into place. The script is by Tony Gilroy, who penned all three "Bourne" films, and Gilroy also takes the direcor's chair for the first time. The deliberate pacing of the script also contributes to the overall quality of the film, providing interesting dialogue and some really tense moments; most of those moments do not even involve any violence at all.

But at heart, "Michael Clayton" is much more than your average legal thriller; it winds up being an excellent quality film. It is filled with rich characters and some great exchanges between those characters, topped by interesting plot twists that carry us all the way through to the end. "Michael Clayton" has to be one of the year's best films.

[moviebuff801]

EDIT: Need a poll, please.

[Newmans_Own]

The script has a tendency to overemphasize several themes. Most lines that take longer than ten seconds to deliver are morphed into long speeches filled with quick-paced wordplay and lots and lots of underlying meaning. The character of Michael’s son seems there only to ramble on about a book that seems to connect to everyone else’s life in some way or another. And in an effort to inject some suspense and confusion in the viewer, the prologue takes place four days into the film’s plot. While it does successfully create a sense of disorientation (as in the best paranoia thrillers), the sequence becomes rather tedious and ineffective when the film returns to it.

But the film is bolstered by strong performances all around. As the titular character, Clooney strips himself of the easygoing charm so obviously detectable in most of his roles thus far. Here, he is driven and determined, relying on his tenacity and quick-thinking rather than his ability to win people over. Tilda Swinton is equally intriguing as the spokeswoman of the corporation, though she is sadly underused. The biggest impression, and the showiest performance, is given by Wilkinson, whose raving antics (“I am Sheba the god of death!”) have been a staple of the film’s promotion. For most of the film, interest is driven purely by Wilkinson, wondering if his nearly-incoherent ramblings mean anything. Though the film is anchored ably by Clooney’s solid work, one almost wishes Wilkinson were the focus.

Gilroy films in a very sparse, cold and sleek style. Each of the characters seem isolated, often the lone figures in long takes. The muted color scheme and dim lighting also heighten the subdued, quiet nature of the film. While nothing revolutionary, the film’s look serves its purpose and supports the script and the performances, which are the heart of the piece. Gilroy is still much more of a writer than a director, but that doesn’t keep MICHAEL CLAYTON from being one of the most intelligent, involving thrillers this year. It will not grip audiences with constant tension or half-hour long chase sequences; it prefers to get under your skin and unsettle you from there. And in the end, it is the latter that is much more effective.

***

Full review at http://newmanscorner.blogspot.com

[Diablo]

Oh man, I loved that ending. Clooney's peformance was awesome, and Tom Wilkinson was great in his role as well. Great movie.

[sshuttari]

I loved this movie as well, The first half was hard to sit but it got a lot better and the pieces started coming together for a great finale.

8.5/10

[SaltyDog]

The beginning was somewhat confusing (to me anyway) but as the movie rolled along the excellent script by Tony Gilroy started to make sense and got better as we see the actor throw themselves into the characters with a lot of zest and the plot's details start to work themselves out. George Clooney does an excellent job as the "fixer" and he looks like a sure bet to be on the short list for OSCAR best actor this year. Also I wouldn't be surprised if Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkerson and Sidney Pollack names appear on the envelopes short list as well. They give top notch performances as well. Swinton makes one chilly villainous lady as she practices her final negotiation speech looking at a mirror (shades of DeNiro in Taxi Driver) while at the same time arranging her clothing in a way that presents her at her best. The ending was somewhat of a copout. Its one we have seen many times over in the thriller genre but overall the film is a terrific legal thriller. Three Stars out of Four, 8 out of 10, Two Big Thumbs Up, Fresh Tomato..... take your pick.

[FranklinTard]

I loved this movie as well, The first half was hard to sit but it got a lot better and the pieces started coming together for a great finale.

8.5/10

sums it up pretty perfectly. not very confusing, spells it all out for you pretty much from start to finish. recommended.

8/10

[Knerys]

I agree. Maybe a bit overly long but the pay off makes it all worth it. And Tilda Swinton is one of the premiere actors of her generation. She was excellent.

8 of 10

[Dracula]

Michael Clayton(10/19/2007)
The new George Cloony vehicle is given the fairly ambiguous title Michael Clayton. This isn’t the best title to market a movie with; very few movies tend to simply be named after fictional characters. This title may be a detriment to the film’s overall box office, but it is worth it. The title helps the movie a lot, it gives away none of the film’s moderately complicated plot and it reminds the viewer what they should be paying attention to amidst this controlled chaos, the title character.

The film follows (of course) Michael Clayton (George Clooney), who on paper is a lawyer, but his employers call him a “fixer.” Clayton’s job in the law firm is crisis management, he’s like The Wolf from Pulp Fiction, when there is a touchy situation he is sent to clean them up and get things under control. The movie provides this character with quite a mess to deal with. The firm’s top lawyer, who is defending the U/North chemical company in a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit, has an apparent breakdown during a hearing. This lawyer, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), had a history of mental illness and had just gone off his medication, but it seems he may be planning more than a fit. The firm’s senior partner Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack) asks Clayton to follow Edens and get him under control. Meanwhile Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), the in house attorney for U/North, begins an investigation of her own into Edens.

The film does not fit into genre boxes perfectly, it is a legal thriller but that genre shouldn’t be confused with that of the court-room genre, as there are no courtroom scenes to be found here. The film actually fits in better with that of paranoid 70s thrillers like Three Days of Condor. Additionally, this is a thriller more the way All the Presidents Men or The Insider, don’t expect edge of your seat suspense. It is surprising that the film was not based on a novel, as it features a level of complexity and detail often found in popular paperbacks today. The film’s script is actually an original work by Tony Gilroy who has been writing high profile films for over a decade. Gilroy also makes an impressive directorial debut here.

To call this plot labyrinthine is definitely an exaggeration. Audiences will not be able to coast through the films plot, but this isn’t nearly as complicated as a lot of other movies that are far more worthy of that adjective. The film is far less complicated than 2005’s George Clooney thriller Syriana, although it does require more focus than the average cookie cutter drama. As long as the viewer pays attention they should fine here. Aside from the story, this is a very good script. The dialogue really crackles here, it sounds really great without feeling like it’s trying too hard or feeling out of place.

As I established earlier, it is important not to forget about the title character amidst all the plot twists, the character based payoff goes hand in hand with the plot’s payoff. When you put the main character’s name in a film’s title it puts an extra burden on the actor playing him. Michael Clayton is a challenging role to play, it’s nothing like the roles Clooney has become famous for. Clooney has to bring a lot to the character that isn’t necessarily on the surface. Clayton is a man of mystery and Clooney has less to do more with less, and look pretty cool while he does it. Clooney was well cast here and manages to pull of this difficult role quite well.

As good a Clooney is, he is somewhat upstaged by the supporting cast. Tilda Swinton has a role with many of the same challenges as Clooney’s. Karen Crowder is a villainous antagonistic role, but not a clichéd one. She is a villain that never twirls a moustache or shows any outward evil at all, she must act ruthlessly without being ruthless. These elements were not lost on Swinton who performs the role perfectly. Sydney Pollack is also an interesting presence; he is after all the director who brought us the aforementioned Three Days of Condor. Pollock manages to do what he usually does as an actor, be himself. He works great as a bureaucrat and is a consistently engaging screen presence. It is Tom Wilkinson who truly steals the show; he gives an Oscar worthy supporting performance. Unlike Clooney, Wilkonson has a character that allows him to show off his range. As Arthur Edens, Wilkinson is allowed to chew scenery in all the right ways.

This is a very good movie, but it isn’t great. When all is said and done the story isn’t as special as it seems. Deep down this is a fairly conventional thriller looking at the type of situations we’ve seen done a lot before, albeit rarely as well. The movie is resolved by the same Hail Mary pass I’ve seen end a million of these movies, but I’ll be damned if I’ve seen such a scene written or acted much better. The script relies a bit too much on coincidence at a crucial moment, but that’s really not too big of a problem.

At the end of the day this is a very strong movie. This is definitely worth seeing; it has talented actors delivering great dialogue in an enjoyable story with strong direction. There are a number of great scenes to enjoy, it’s fun to watch. Still it is just shy of greatness; it’s just missing a certain ambition. Perhaps it’s better to succeed at being like John Grisham than to fail at being Dostoevsky, but when you compromise like that you end up short of greatness. I’d hesitate to ever put this on a year end list, but it’s probably a lock for honorable mention, and certainly worth seeing.
***1/2 out of Four

[iv3rdawG]

Although the last ten or so minutes of the film are superb, I felt the film dragged in the middle quite a lot. But when we finally get back to present time in the film, that's really when it gets going. Good acting from the whole cast but I can't even understand how people are saying George has a shot at the Oscar this year. No way.

[sshuttari]

Roeper's #1 movie of the year!!!

[Tzarinna]

Looks like it's being rereleased. I can check it out finally.

[PsYkOoOoO]

The last ten minutes of the movie was probably one of the most enjoyable ten minutes at the cinema for me.

"You're ****ed!"

Awesome.

[DJ Aj@m]

just finished this, wasn't as confusing as i thought in fact the story is so tight and well put together the focus u need to stay with it keeps the plot from drifting away, GC takes u into his dark world with a concrete performance occasionally bringing u out to catch a gasp of air, looking a the end credits im assuming the editing was done by Gilroys brother 'John Gilroy', its always nice to keep it in the family and the end result keeps me in anticipation for more of his work.

[Tzarinna]

Lmfao at the end, nice build up.

[IAmARevenant]

I just finished watching it, and I guess I'll have to watch it again sometime later to understand everything; but I do agree that the final scene is probably one of the best scenes I've seen this year.

[SnoBorderZero]

Just watched it. The stuff in it isn't earth shattering but it is enjoyable. Is it worthy of a Best Pciture nominee? I guess, but I don't think the movie pushed anything to make it memorable 5 years down the road.

8/10

[IanTheCool]

Saw this one toady. It was good, but i don't think it was anything to write home about. I didn't buy Wilkenson's crazy guy character and i think that kind of took me out of the movie. Clooney was very good, but it felt like the gambling sub-plot with his character was an obvious attempt to give the character more depth. But the ending is very strong and its a solid script throughout, just nothing all too special.

[SnoBorderZero]

Saw this one toady. It was good, but i don't think it was anything to write home about. I didn't buy Wilkenson's crazy guy character and i think that kind of took me out of the movie. Clooney was very good, but it felt like the gambling sub-plot with his character was an obvious attempt to give the character more depth. But the ending is very strong and its a solid script throughout, just nothing all too special.

That pretty much is exactly how I felt. Wilkenson and the case itself just didn't sell me from the start, but the ending was so strong and the writing pretty solid that I can certainly see why people liked it.