Cut from the same cloth as "The Pelican Brief" and "The Constant Gardener", it is much more of a psychological study than a "whodunit". Clooney is excellent in the leading role.
Comment
11/10/07
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.
Theatrical Release:28-09-2007
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
Gilroy's goal is to create a smart, literate thriller, and while Michael Clayton is smart and literate, it isn't thrilling.
11/07/07
Think of this intense drama about corporate shenanigans as the capper to a George Clooney trilogy about duty, ethics and professionalism.
11/05/07
The story of some nice lawyers who give dozens of pro bono hours working to adopt puppies for orphans before Christmas. George Clooney plays the headmaster.
10/30/07
The 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
This is a crackerjack story with sharp writing, genuine twists, perfect whip-smart acting and a subplot for Clooney's character that actually works instead of just feeling like padding.
10/23/07
Out-Grishams Grisham at his own game, thanks to an engaging plot, fine acting and a pleasing twist at the end.
10/23/07
Michael Clayton simultaneously punches you in the gut and in the cranium because it never sacrifices the thrust of the narrative to its moral posturing.
10/23/07
Michael Clayton wants it both ways. It requires smarts to understand what's going on, and a lack of smarts to care and not be able to predict the outcome.
10/22/07
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
The strength of the film is Tom Wilkinson's performance as a bipolar lawyer who stops taking his medication and has an epiphany of sorts.
10/20/07
Smart and thoroughly entertaining.
10/20/07
The perfectly cast Clooney gives the term 'star vehicle' a good name.
10/19/07
As mesmerizing as Michael's journey is throughout the film, and as much as the film is focused on his essential masculine recovery, Karen's plot is equally compelling.
10/19/07
The movie requires patience from the audience. In return, it doesn't cop out with a cheap twist or turn at the end.
10/19/07
When Clooney is onscreen, he is magnetic, pure and simple.
10/18/07
George Clooney wastes nothing in his best performance, and the film is as breathtakingly efficient. Specifics and surprises unfold with methodical care, and attentive adult audiences can savor one of the smartest, classiest legal thrillers ever made.
10/18/07
This isn't a thrill a minute. But "Michael Clayton" is indeed an entertaining thriller, although it's a slow-paced one that's told mostly in flashback.
10/17/07
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
Further proof that George Clooney is quite simply the movie star of our age.
10/17/07
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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