Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton is another film that seems to come to us through time from a bygone era. I can imagine it being made by Sidney Pollack (great idea to cast him here, by the way) or his namesake Lumet sometime during the seventies, preferably with Robert Redford or Gene Hackman in the lead. But back to the present. What we have here is a simple story that has been seen, read and heard several times, but it is well written, has excellent dialogue and such unique characters that it is a joy to watch. Tony Gilroy's direction is fairly slow (Michael Clayton is thankfully not an action movie), but he comes up with a lot of ideas and many of the scenes (the horses, Arthur's apartment, the cab ride) are memorable. There's also a subtle but atmospheric performance by James Newton Howard... Four and a half. (12/10/2011)

In the face of George Clooney's convincing warrior face and James Newton Howard's emotional tones, I may feel guilty with my assessment, but any saving idea, warning finger, or suffocating statement drowns in the inarticulate and yet unnecessarily entangled boredom, which minute by minute increasingly flows towards an unsurprising conclusion. (08/22/2008)

Cold, distant, and unforgiving. Tony Gilroy is a very wise man who has managed to make his name a trademark, under which he is going to distribute goods of the best quality. You’ll be so chilled by Tom Wilkinson's opening monologue alone that you won't melt until the closing credits. This high-level legal game with lives on the line knocks you out with its formal austerity, which gives ample room for narrative peripeteia and theatrics in which the venerable academy has once again crowned the wrong person. Tilda Swinton spends the few minutes she gets looking like an uptight spinster, and immediately the golden statuettes come tumbling down. But otherwise, apart from the hasty introduction, I have no major complaints. 4 ½ (with the promise of a reunion coming soon). (03/30/2008)

Clayton is like a snowball slowly collecting more and more snow as it rolls on. The beginning is rather boring (despite being polished and realistic), but with added color from the precise background music by James Newton Howard. Clooney is great as usual and Gilroy is too good to let you switch off, and that’s good... at the end all the loose ends tie up nicely. 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'm your easiest problem and you're gonna kill me? (05/23/2011)

I will not give the highest rating to Clayton, as it is too cold and distanced, but otherwise, it is a thoroughly professionally made and impressive film about the evil in legal and business circles, the power of money, and the unfulfilled ambitions of one unscrupulous manager. The film has a clear storyline, convincing motivation for its characters, an excellent acting cast, and corresponding top-notch performances. In short, it is a world-class film. It is no coincidence that one of the producers was the director of the legendary thriller Three Days of the Condor. Overall impression: 80%. (12/12/2011)