Michael Clayton

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Michael Clayton

R

Released Oct 12, 2007

2h 0m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

90%

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203 Reviews

69%

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250,000+ Ratings

Former prosecutor Michael Clayton (George Clooney) works as a "fixer" at the corporate law firm of Kenner, Bach and Ledeen, and takes care of his employer's dirty work. Burned out and deep in debt, he is bound tightly to the firm. Clayton faces the biggest challenge of his career when a guilt-ridden attorney (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown during a huge class-action lawsuit.

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Critics 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.

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David Fear

Blender

There is a lot to admire in [Michael Clayton] regarding corruption and personal responsibility. You may, however, want to cut out before [the end].

Sep 8, 2023

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

The storytelling is so good I simply got caught up, and, as for George, he is seriously, seriously good... Here, his performance is passionate, subtle and right on the money.

Aug 23, 2018

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Ben Kenigsberg

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Michael Clayton has an important story to tell, but is sometimes overly stifling in its stuffy pretenses.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 10, 2023

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

The multifaceted pieces of the film are well orchestrated and the performances strong, although the movie's beginning is somewhat chaotic.

Mar 5, 2021

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

This is Clooney at his brooding best, in a solid drama with an ending as explosive as its beginning.

Rated: 7/10

Nov 26, 2020

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Brian D

74%. 12/15/24. Story about a lawyer who does the dirty work for the law firm. One of the manic lawyers with a history of depression loses his cool over protecting a client and risks exposing the client. Thought it was quite boring to start then got better toward the end but still nothing to write home about. 2/5 rewatch

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/17/24

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acsdoug D

The evil corporation killing its customers with its product - not to mention outright murdering those who investigate its wrongdoing - is an overdone Hollywood trope. This one isn't too bad for the genre, it's just that there's nothing new here.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

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Blu B

It's Excellent. Tom Wilkinson gives the best performance I've ever seen from him and Clooney is masterful. The whole supporting cast is really good powered by really sharp and witty dialouge. The way this starts out immediately draws you in and over the course of 2 hours will answer evverything in a masterful way. This perfectly blends the personal issues of Michael with the corporate conspiracy perfectly. The cinematography is really moody as well. It's masterfully directed thanks to the sharp script and first rate performances. This feels like it gets slightly perdictable in the middle for a bit but it continues to throw more twists at you and keeps you guessing until it brings it all home. Great satisfying ending. If there is one thing I can fault is the while the music is really good, I do wish it was a bit more catchy on its own. Besides that, even if your not into corporate dramas / thrillers, this is so well done it doesn't matter. Everyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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smith j

Tom Wilson was the bet actor of the movie. his every word was so real . he is a person I would like to know

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/06/24

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Maritta M

What a great movie; held my attention from the beginning to the end. It was so well done, scripted, acted and directed, that it felt like it was real.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

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Audience Member

Awesome movie! One of my favorites of all time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/13/24

Full Review

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Tony Gilroy

Director

George Clooney

Michael Clayton

Tom Wilkinson

Arthur Edens

Tilda Swinton

Karen Crowder

Sydney Pollack

Marty Bach

Ken Howard

Don Jeffries

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Synopsis

Former prosecutor Michael Clayton (George Clooney) works as a "fixer" at the corporate law firm of Kenner, Bach and Ledeen, and takes care of his employer's dirty work. Burned out and deep in debt, he is bound tightly to the firm. Clayton faces the biggest challenge of his career when a guilt-ridden attorney (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown during a huge class-action lawsuit.

Director: Tony Gilroy
Producer: Sydney Pollack, Steve Samuels, Jennifer Fox, Kerry Orent
Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Section Eight Ltd., Mirage Enterprises
Rating: R (Some Sexual Dialogue|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2007, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2008
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $49.0M
Runtime: 2h 0m

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