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Michael Clayton | 
| Director: Tony Gilroy
Actors: Tom Wilkinson, Michael O'keefe, Sydney Pollack, Danielle Skraastad, Tilda Swinton
Studio: Warner Bros.
Category: Movie
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  201 reviews
Sales Rank: 193
Genre: Drama
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video Download
Running Time: 120 Minutes
ASIN: B0014B8KSI
Theatrical Release Date: October 12, 2007
Release Date: June 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 196 more reviews...
 Legal Thriller Packs a Whallop August 1, 2008
David Baldwin (Philadelphia,PA USA)
I didn't have much enthusiasm for "Michael Clayton". I thought the legal arena on film had been definitely tackled by Sidney Lumet's "The Verdict" some 25 years ago. Boy, was I wrong! Without entering a courtroom except for a filmed deposition this film casts a jaundiced eye on the legal profession that knocks you for a loop. The film centers on a prestigious law firm as it prepares the defense of a multi-national in a class action lawsuit. Michael Clayton(George Clooney) is the firms fixer, a lawyer who handles the more unsavory aspects of a case without sullying the firm's reputation. Though Clayton is a flawed individual he starts to have doubts about his activities. This is heightened when a manic-depressive colleague(Tom Wilkinson) who is the chief defender in the lawsuit begins to display erratic behavior. Clayton is not so much redeemed in this film but he wants to erradicate some of the muck that he wallows in. This is bar none Clooney's best performance. He's called on here to play a seriously flawed person and yet engender sympathy from the audience. It's not a mannered work but a carefully modulated one. The real revelation here is Wilkinson, though. Many actors have chewed the scenery playing characters with mental problems but Wilkinson plumbs the depth of Arthur to deliver a highly sympathetic and humane performance. Judging Wilkinson's work here I would have given him the Oscar over Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men". By an eyelash. The late Sydney Pollack delivers a fitting epitaph to a storied career as the straight-talking senior partner. Judging from her work here I was a little puzzled by the Oscar Tilda Swinton won. She's certainly good but there's nothing earth shattering about her performance. My guess it was more of a body of work thing.
Bought a DVD July 20, 2008
Christian Bernard
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Speedy delivery from the USA to Europe. Happy, both with item purchased and with the speed. To be recommended
Michael Clayton review July 13, 2008
B. Buckley
Never pre-judge. I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Clayton and would highly recommend it. I almost didn't buy it because a friend had seen it and didn't care for it or "get it". I thought it was very well done, enthralling, and had that element I love, a twist at the end.
 Just Bad July 13, 2008
Sally Atman (Redondo Beach, CA United States)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had high hopes for this film, and it let me down at every turn. I know people don't like to read negative reviews, so I'll keep this short. First, the plot reminded me of a Lifetime movie. Second, there's a difference between playing a character low key and just coming across bored; even a developmentally-disabled half-deaf person is going to have at least a visible physical reaction to seeing his car blow up twice. Third, the only actor the viewer can feel anything for is Arthur, who is a direct rip off of Paddy Chayevsky's Howard Beale from the phenominal "Network." Fourth, George Clooney seems to think he's Sean Connery, and he's not. I've taught drama and scriptwriting for thirty years, and although I wanted to like this movie, I just couldn't.
Michael Clayton July 6, 2008
William F. Thistlethwaite (Cincinnati, Ohio)
I thought it was a little slow getting started, but by the end of the movie I thought it was one of the best George Clooney movies I have ever seen.
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