Description (continued...) found a niche that capitalizes on his legal acumen and shrewd people skills, and yet, after 13 years on the job, finds himself increasingly disgusted with his clientele. The film covers four pivotal days of his life, in which a midlife crisis and a crisis of conscience neatly converge when he is called in to "fix" a situation unfolding in one of his firm's hottest cases. Brilliant lawyer Arthur Edens (another powerhouse performance by Tom Wilkinson), representing a huge agro-chemical corporation being hit by a class action suit, has a bipolar breakdown, compounded by guilt over his defense of a company that is probably in the wrong, but is wealthy enough to buy its innocence either way. The company's CEO (Tilda Swinton) will stop at nothing to keep Edens from sinking the case. Clayton must decide how much of Edens's mad rebellion against the company is sheer mental illness, how much is true, and how much it will cost him to do the right thing. Clooney delivers a rich performance as a hangdog and haunted man who wants to stay on the side of good, but is a little too skilled at moral margin-walking to make that an easy choice in every situation. Swinton glows as a secretly frail Amazon who somehow won't let a tortured conscience prevent her from getting ahead. The final third of the film is as suspenseful as any courtroom drama, without ever resorting to legal-thriller cliches. Country of Origin: USA Reviews 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] zesty, brainy chaser....A thought-provoking exposé that could land Clooney an Oscar..." Total Film | 10/01/2007 | p.56 "Clooney can suggest depths of weary self-loathing...and his eventual hard-won redemption accordingly carries more emotional weight....Gilroy draws vivid performances from his cast..." Sight and Sound | 10/01/2007 | p.62 4 stars out of 4 -- "A deftly written, tautly suspenseful and intellectually demanding morality tale, it stays a step ahead of the audience and features multidimensional characters played by actors at the top of their games." USA Today | 10/05/2007 | p.5E "Dark in color, mood and outraged worldview, MICHAEL CLAYTON is a film that speaks to the way we live now....[The film is] adult, sincere, intelligent, absorbing..." New York Times | 10/05/2007 | p.E1-E17 "[A] terrifically engrossing, tethered-to-the-real-world drama....It's better than good; it's such a crackling and mature and accomplished movie that it just about restores your faith." Entertainment Weekly | 10/12/2007 | p.52-53 3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he film is a triumph for George Clooney, who is at the top of his dramatic form in the title role..." Rolling Stone | 10/18/2007 | p.131 "[A] smart and suspenseful legal thriller that comes completely alive on-screen." Los Angeles Times | 10/05/2007 "[A] solid, well-crafted, beautifully written and acted thriller....The execution is splendid and the dramatic payoff is considerable..." Film Comment | 01/01/2008 | p.40 Full Cast and Crew Director: Tony Gilroy Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy Producer: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, Steve Samuels, Kerry Orent Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney, James Holt, Anthony Minghella Director of Photography: Robert Elswit Composer: James Newton Howard Release Information ExtraInfo: Widescreen Color: Color Runtime: 119 min. Original Language: English © Warner Home Video DVD Features DVD Features: Anamorphic Widescreen Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish, Dolby Digital 2.0, Subtitles - English (SDH), French, Spanish - Optional Additional Release Material: Additional Scenes, Audio Commentary - Tony Gilroy - Writer/Director; John Gilroy -
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