mistramicizia
I actually watched this movie by recommendation from someone else, and the movie met my expectations. I've never been a fan of movies revolving around lawyers, but I do enjoy movies about solving cases and exposing. So, the two elements mixed promise fun. The movie is not in any moment dull and there's always something new that occurs which sometimes seems as if you're watching a real thriller. The acting raised the bar in this movie. It was believable and showing a large range of emotions through witty dialogue. I'm not saying it was unbelievably fantastic, but it was just fine and people of different tastes could enjoy watching this.DISCLAIMER : Everything stated in this review is entirely matter of personal opinion and doesn't have to coincide with the opinions of other reviewers
Raven-1969
Law and justice are common misconceptions. For truth is adjustable. It depends on money and influence. Michael Clayton is short on both. Deep in debt, isolated and with his authority as special counsel at a massive law firm becoming increasingly tenuous, Michael has no room error. Then the trouble really begins. Arthur, a leading attorney for the firm, suffers a breakdown. Michael is marked for execution. With billions of dollars and lives hanging in the balance, Michael realizes he must channel the skills he learned as a powerful trial attorney; coolness under pressure, finding and exploiting thresholds for pain, and adjusting the truth.Attorneys, especially those at gigantic firms like Michael's, must jettison or channel their emotions to win. Even then, winning often does not mean success. Arthur is broken down from years of screaming, stalling, scheming and sacrificing his well-being – and that of those he loves - in exchange for billable hours. Eyes opening to the beauty of life and love, Arthur resists Michael's efforts to bring him back to the tasks of the firm. To help Arthur, the firm and all those who depend upon them, Michael first must help himself. The film reveals why, as a law school graduate, I am not practicing law.As a thriller, Michael Clayton is first rate. Tensions are heightened as puzzle pieces of the story and the motivations of the fascinating characters are gradually revealed and the film jumps back in time. Those in the audience who pay attention to little details are rewarded. The reason for a malfunctioning vehicle GPS unit, for instance, is revealed near the end of the film and with much impact. George Clooney (Michael), Tom Wilkinson (Arthur) and Tilda Swinton are amazing. With added depth to the dialogue, soundtrack and cinematography, the film could be more compelling, yet viewers will delight, as I did, in the charms of this pulse quickening film. Ten years since the release of the film and the nation receives a daily schooling, from the highest levels of government, in the relevance of its theme of adjustable truth.
TonyMontana96
A story that gets much better in the second half, Michael Clayton would have been great if it had a bit more awareness towards it's pacing within the first half of the picture. George Clooney play's Michael Clayton, a middle aged 'fixer' for a law firm that clears up the problems no one else want's to deal with; and gives a very good performance, with transparent emotions, and it's among his best performances as well. The story is complicated enough, and turns into an entertaining thriller just after the hour mark, where dull moments are nowhere to be found, and interesting plot revelations reveal themselves. At first I wasn't impressed, I felt the dialogue and the scenes displayed were being dragged out to make the film longer, and just before the hour mark, I nearly drifted off, which is never a good sign, however it picks up and its rather good with some impressive moments of suspense and plenty of intelligent twists to keep you on the edge of your seat, and what makes it even better is the atmosphere, especially towards the end, you see Clayton, you can see he has a lot on his mind, and his actions and portrayal are truly excellent making the Clayton character exceptionally good.Tilda Swinton, Ray Wilkinson and Sydney Pollack also feature in the film and the rest of the supporting cast are fairly good, if nothing special. Tony Gilroy who directed and wrote this picture has done solid work regarding the direction, however his script has its ups and down's, and only improves significantly after the hour mark but it's still worth it. Michael Clayton showcases strong acting from Clooney, an upbeat second half, and an inventive, neat ending that almost makes you forgive the rather slow start.
Rich Rossi
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.
AD
