Really Surprised!

People are voting emotionally.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I can see that there was a lot of skill that went into crafting this story, but unfortunately I can't say that I enjoyed it. I can tell that this is the sort of story that has been well thought out and probably doesn't have any plot holes, but it was just not something that I could follow. Much like when I watch the original Mission Impossible movie, I can sort of understand what's going on with the plot as I'm watching it, but as soon as I turn it off, I have no clue what happened. Part of me feels as though there should have been a way to make the content of this movie a little more comprehensible, after seeing how expertly Sorkin was able to make good sense of legal dealings in The Social Network. However, because the entire movie of Michael Clayton centers around legal cases instead of just featuring one, I guess it was inevitable that there would be a lot of legal jargon.If this were made today, it would definitely be a tv show, and actually it might not make a bad one. It would have been easier to follow Michael's arc and it wouldn't have been necessary to condense some of the more technical expositiony bits as much. Also, the concept of the movie is just not terribly cinematic, but could have been more interesting if it had more time with its characters. There are still some movies like this that are made, but they are not big and don't even really get the kind of award season recognition that this one did. I don't quite know how to feel about that, maybe it's a good thing, but the fact is that "adult dramas" like this are a dying genre.Though it is hard to judge the acting performances because I didn't understand the context of each scene that well, it seemed like everyone gave a pretty good performance here. Tilda Swinton, is good as always, and once again is unrecognizable from her other roles. Tom Wilkinson played one of his more annoying roles, but doesn't do badly in it. George Clooney had a more impressive performance than I'd ever seen out of him. I don't think any aspect of the movie deserved its Oscar nominations, but maybe that was because 2007 was a bit of an off year in terms of awards movies. I wouldn't recommend this that strongly for anyone. I can imagine someone enjoying it, but I don't know who. One feature that might be attractive is that it takes a more realistic look at the work lawyers do than something like Law and Order or even To Kill a Mockingbird. However, it is a very serious movie and isn't likely to have any of the appeal that most people traditionally seek in movies. Overall Rating: 6.4/10

"Michael Clayton" is an extremely slow movie that is well worth seeing. So please resist the urge to turn off the movie...I felt a bit like doing this early on in the story.Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a fixer...a lawyer whose job it is to make clients' problems disappear. So, it's obvious early on that he is NOT a nice guy...not the sort of person you'd expect to be a hero. Add to that his huge gambling debts and you've got a really screwed up man. When he becomes involved in a case where his law firm is representing a chemical company in a class action lawsuit, however, his malleable morals are challenged. Is there something he won't hide?This is a good movie that was nominated for several Oscars and one one for Tilda Swinton for Best Supporting Actress. Well, while the film is good, I can only assume it was a slow year. Yes...it's good. But a Best Picture nominee? And Swinton's performance, though good, was relatively small for the Best Supporting Actress statuette. Still, it is good....just don't expect it's great...which all the nominations would seem to imply.By the way, one of the little things about the film I loved was the scene where Clayton needed to kick in a door. Unlike most TV shows and movies, it took a LOT of repeated effort to kick the door off the frame...an unusually realistic scene indeed.

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a 'fixer'. He fixes other people's messes. If he can't do it himself, he knows who to get in touch with. In a gangster film, he might have been a 'cleaner', removing the stench and debris of a hit once a job took place. The movie actually has a couple of cleaners who double as electronics experts and private detectives. They're not nice guys, they can be persuaded to take out anyone if the price is right, as long as there's no ambiguity in the assignment.This is a finely woven story, intricately plotted and told in somewhat of a flashback style until prior events catch up with real time right after Clayton's car is blown up. I don't understand the reviewers who claim that they couldn't follow the story, it's actually laid out pretty well. I've said it before, sometimes paying attention goes a long way. This film is certainly not as complex as Clooney's 2005 film "Syriana", so if you had trouble with this one, don't even bother with the earlier picture.One thing I didn't get though, and I WAS paying attention, was why Michael would have sicced his eight year old son on Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) to instruct him in the Conquest role playing game. That didn't connect with anything, other than Arthur's own descent into delusion while refusing to take his medication. Also, I thought the story line could have done a better job of fleshing out Arthur's relationship with Anna (Merrit Wever), one of the U/North plaintiffs. Did Arthur see her as a romantic interest, or was he solely disgusted with the cover up of U/North's toxic culcitate and the lethal damage their clients were exposed to? In the end I guess it doesn't matter, but it might have explained his paranoia a bit better.On a personal level, what I found particularly interesting were some of the filming locations which were used in the environs outside New York City. That view of the overhead rail trestle near the spot where Michael stopped to view the horses is along a stretch of country road near Salisbury Mills, New York; it's known as the Moodna Viaduct and serves as a commuter and transport line. The house where Michael's brother Gene (Sean Cullen) lived is located in the Worley Heights section of Monroe, New York, about a ten minute drive from the trestle. And director/screenwriter Tony Gilroy slipped in a reference to Washingtonville Central as the place where Michael Clayton went to high school, but it's his own Alma mater! All are located in Orange County, New York where I've lived all my life, so that was like getting a bonus while watching a picture that was already entertaining on it's own merits.

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.