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Michael Clayton

  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
180K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
604
599
George Clooney in Michael Clayton (2007)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures
Play trailer0:31
18 Videos
99+ Photos
Legal ThrillerCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action su... Read allA law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.

  • Director
    • Tony Gilroy
  • Writer
    • Tony Gilroy
  • Stars
    • George Clooney
    • Tilda Swinton
    • Tom Wilkinson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    180K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    604
    599
    • Director
      • Tony Gilroy
    • Writer
      • Tony Gilroy
    • Stars
      • George Clooney
      • Tilda Swinton
      • Tom Wilkinson
    • 462User reviews
    • 306Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 28 wins & 114 nominations total

    Videos18

    Michael Clayton
    Trailer 0:31
    Michael Clayton
    Michael Clayton
    Clip 1:12
    Michael Clayton
    Michael Clayton
    Clip 1:12
    Michael Clayton
    Michael Clayton
    Clip 0:46
    Michael Clayton
    Michael Clayton
    Clip 1:25
    Michael Clayton
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    Clip 0:50
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    Clip 1:09
    Michael Clayton

    Photos133

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    Top cast73

    Edit
    George Clooney
    George Clooney
    • Michael Clayton
    Tilda Swinton
    Tilda Swinton
    • Karen Crowder
    Tom Wilkinson
    Tom Wilkinson
    • Arthur Edens
    Michael O'Keefe
    Michael O'Keefe
    • Barry Grissom
    Sydney Pollack
    Sydney Pollack
    • Marty Bach
    Danielle Skraastad
    Danielle Skraastad
    • Bridget Klein
    • (voice)
    Wai Chan
    • Chinese Dealer
    Alberto Vazquez
    Alberto Vazquez
    • Player #1
    Brian Koppelman
    Brian Koppelman
    • Player #2
    Tom McCarthy
    Tom McCarthy
    • Walter
    • (voice)
    Denis O'Hare
    Denis O'Hare
    • Mr. Greer
    Julie White
    Julie White
    • Mrs. Greer
    Austin Williams
    Austin Williams
    • Henry Clayton
    Jennifer Van Dyck
    Jennifer Van Dyck
    • Ivy
    Frank Wood
    Frank Wood
    • Gerald
    Richard Hecht
    Richard Hecht
    • Auctioneer
    Bill Raymond
    Bill Raymond
    • Gabe Zabel
    Jonathan Walker
    Jonathan Walker
    • Del
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Tony Gilroy
    • Writer
      • Tony Gilroy
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews462

    7.2179.6K
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    Featured reviews

    8wxgirl55

    A satisfying flick, but you have to pay attention.

    Saw this at a screening at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival.

    This movie is appropriately titled "Michael Clayton" because in it we are introduced to the man in his many life roles; father, ex-husband, brother, son, friend and businessman. Some things he's good at, others not so much.

    Terry Gilroy's debut directing showed a controlled and restrained hand, allowing the multi-tracked storyline to expand and grow, but always with a pull back to the core. For a fairly busy plot with numerous sub-characters, he did a good job of turning over pieces of the puzzle to bring the audience back full circle to the opening scene.

    Michael Clayton fixes things, but we see in his own personal life there are a trail of problems he's dealing with. It's when he works alone that he seems to do his best work. Once those close to him come into his decision-making process, he lets emotions rule rather than his head.

    George Clooney always seems to have a message in his movies, wanting us to be aware of the evil-doers out in the world. His boyish charm and general likability makes you root for him. We can relate to him.

    Michael Clayton is a flawed individual who has good intentions but often gets beaten by the world and the people around him. Can't we all relate to that too? This was a satisfying suspense flick. Key to enjoying it is to pay attention.
    10rich-rossi-50

    Fantastic Dialogue, Story, and Acting

    There aren't many movies that I enjoy watching twice or more, this is certainly one of them. This is in the running to be my favorite movie of all time. This movie can be hard to follow, and can seem vulgar at times, but in reality the dialogue has a higher purpose: to illustrate how we can get lost in our personal objectives and lose track of the bigger picture. The majority of characters in this movie don't fall into the "good guy", "bad guy" category, they are various shades of gray, just like real people. If one puts themselves in the shoes of the characters, their actions are plausible and consistent with reality. If you don't want to have your brain challenged by a time-line that bounces around and a complicated story that requires the viewer to put the pieces together you might want to save this for another night, but don't miss it, it's an incredible piece of writing and filmmaking.
    8rbnrnnr

    Holds up over time

    I love this movie - I have watched it many times, most recently last night. It has one of the best collections of superb performances you'll find, wrapped in an anti-corporate Erin Brokovich-like story structure. But what's really going on is the individual characters. George Clooney is so under rated. He has a clear understanding of his role at his firm - he's a fixer, a janitor. But he's really good at it and it's allowed him to fund his other hobbies. The interaction between him and his brother is so subtle New York class structure: brother's a cop so sees his brother as a fancy lawyer; Clooney's coworkers know his background and see him as a cop. Tom Wilkinson is incredible. Lead attorney at the firm, leading their defense of their client, a giant ag company accused of poisoning people. A non-showy naturalistic performance showing someone going off their medication. Or is he just waking up and deciding not to sell his soul anymore? It's a Peter Finch/Network level performance, I kid you not. And finally, my girl Tilda Swinton. She is never ever boring. She is ostensibly the face of the villain in this story. And yet Tilda does something really interesting here. She allows you inside this character's job in a male-dominated corporation, in an awful industry, you understand her ambition, but she lets you see how over her head she feels she is. She makes her character's anxiety palpable. And yet, when the inevitable confrontation happens: she deserves it. You get the feeling, though, that had she been smarter and stronger, the men she works for would never have allowed her to be around. So ultimately they did this to themselves. Finally, the elegant plot structure. You begin near the end, go back to the beginning, and then go past where you started to the end. "I am Siva, the god of death"
    8bobbyelliott

    Slow burner but high quality movie

    After seeing "Superbad" last weekend, I needed a grown-up antidote and this movie is certainly that. A slow moving, adult, serious movie with a message.

    The movie has a number of themes including ageing, corruption, principles and truth. The movie's message is that there is more to life than making money.

    The acting is uniformly good but Clooney is outstanding. His character is complex and he's pretty unhappy with what he has become. But it's all done very subtly. There are no obvious messages in this movie. As another reviewer wrote, you have to pay attention.

    Don't read too much into my "slow moving/slow burner" descriptions. This movie is not boring. It just doesn't whiz along with one implausible twist after another. It's evenly paced with an almost complete lack of silly plot lines (there was no need for the lawyer in crisis to remove his clothes during a trial).

    Everyone involved in this movie deserves praise for producing a challenging, grown-up, movie-with-a-message in the face of a torrent of mindless nonsense.

    Highly recommended.
    6John K.-2

    Good film, but not for everyone

    This is a well-made suspense film. It builds slowly, it features the key characters in sometimes agonising close-up, it weaves an intricate plot (a bit too intricate, in hindsight -- I'm still not sure why some events were included), and George Clooney is masterful as the morally conflicted character who does his best to hold his collapsing life together, while slowly realising that his role in life is not quite what he thought it was in any case.

    There are some things this film is not. It's not an action film ... if you expect that, it will seem very slow. It's not a warm and friendly film that leaves you feeling good about the world -- it was shot in winter, just to emphasise its coldness. It's not a comedy in any way, not even through being over-the-top. It's reality rather than escapism.

    If you like suspense, unflinching realism, stories of moral conflict, criticisms of corporate America, or George Clooney -- or if you're just in the mood to see that kind of film -- you'll love it. If you're in the mood for a film to wash away the cares of the day (as I was), choose something else.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In a November 2020 interview, George Clooney stated that the case in the film, while about a completely different industry, was based on the Ford Pinto case, where it wasn't that Ford had a car that was unsafe, but that an internal memo showed that they had calculated the cost of recall versus the individual suits from people being killed in the car, and determined it was cheaper to pay off claims and not do the recall.
    • Goofs
      When Clayton first gets the booklet from the print shop, it has a black plastic binding. Later, the binding changes to wire.
    • Quotes

      Michael Clayton: I'm not the guy you kill. I'm the guy you buy! Are you so fucking blind that you don't even see what I am? I sold out Arthur for 80 grand. I'm your easiest problem and you're gonna kill me?

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Kingdom/Trade/The Game Plan/Feast of Love/The Darjeeling Limited/Lust, Caution (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      The Thought of You
      Written by Edwina Travis Chin (as Edwina Travis-Chin)

      Provided by APM Music

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    FAQ23

    • How long is Michael Clayton?Powered by Alexa
    • Is the plot of Michael Clayton based on any pre-existing publication such as book or other medium?
    • What is a fixer? What is Michael Clayton's job?
    • What's the point of the restaurant? What happened?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 12, 2007 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • CMC (Taiwan)
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Luật Sư Phá Án
    • Filming locations
      • Cornwall, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Samuels Media
      • Castle Rock Entertainment
      • Mirage Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $25,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $49,033,882
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $719,910
      • Oct 7, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $92,991,835
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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