Warner Bros, Samuel Media and Castle Rock Entertainment present a 119 minute R rated film written and directed by Tony Gilroy and starring George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Tom Wilkinson (Arthur Edens), Sean Cullen (Gene Clayton), Tilda Swinton (Karen Crowder), Sydney Pollack (Marty Bach), Michael O'Keefe (Barry Grissom), Ken Howard (Don Jeffries) with Denis O'Hare (Mr. Green), Robert Prescott (Mr. Verne), Austin Williams (Henry Clayton), Merritt Wever (Anna), David Lansbury (Timmy Clayton), Bill Raymond (Gabe Zabel), David Zayas (Detective Dalberto) and Skipp Sudduth (Jerry Dante).
In the beginning of the film the story sets up exactly who Michael Clayton is for the most part pretty much like the lines within a novel. At the age of 45, no equity, divorced with a gambling problem, in debt from a bad business deal, but a loving father to his son, Henry, the writing does not leave too much unturned about his character. Michael is also considered the janitor for Kenner, Bach and LeDeen, the law firm he works for with his colleagues Marty and Arthur. Ok, he is not really the janitor but rather the clean up man to the firms problems. The cops think he's a lawyer and the lawyers think he's a cop but in reality he is the point man that helps fix the firms mess's.
Kenner, Bach and LeDeen, lead by Marty Bach are the legal team representing Don Jeffries company, U-North, in a legal battle. There top notch attorney, Arthur Edens, who considers himself as Shiva, the God of death of this New York firm has taken a new view of life. He's discovered that U-North was actually poisoning it's clients with their agrichemical company and trying to cover up the case which involves approximately more than 450 people. In a board room, Arthur, in front of one of the clients, Anna from Wisconsin, and a team of attorneys decides to strip down to nothing and proclaim his admiration for the young girl, this leads to more headaches for the law firm.
The film flashes four days earlier which sets up the entire story of why and how Michael Clayton gets involved. Arthur is not only the senior litigation partner for the firm but a dear friend of Michael's. All Michael wants to do is help his manic depressant friend get back on his medication and fix the new potential problems that Arthur has already now added into the mix. Michael with a background as special council of seventeen years of wills and trust for the New York firm has one of the best reputations of making new problems become old.
The story is quite intriguing for a dramatic thriller, not moving at a fast pace but you must pay attention to every detail. If you miss the conversation between Arthur and Michael's son, Henry, on the phone about the book "realm and Conquest" than you'll miss the reason why Michael stops to visit 3 horses in a countryside field, ultimately saving his own life but not that of his Mercedes.
Three billion dollars is a large amount of money for any corporation and this film crosses the line of what some people like Karen will do in order to protect her company and her position from such a loss. It brings to the table the inner demons that live within each and every one of our souls and what someone like her will do when faced with the decisions of good versus evil and right from wrong. Arthur has discovered that it is the time in his life to do the right thing and bring to the front memorandum #229 which implicates that U-North knew exactly what they were doing. Overall, turning his back on his own firm and the crookedness that lies within major companies like U-North the truth did set his spirit free, literally! As a public of the norm, we learn to trust because of visual and verbal trickery. "Find the seed, shape the soil, shape the harvest and feed the planet" a slogan that in the end leads to illness and potential tasteless death. Sounds great but does it speak the truth?
Arthur may seem like a fruit lope at times during the story but from a firm of 600 lawyers he was truly the best and brightest of them all and learned that the right thing to do was to build a case against U-North. What will a company do to hide the truth? Better yet what will a woman do to protect her title, wage and employer? This story lays that all out on the table which leads Michael Clayton down the path of discovery like that of yet another great film, "Erin Brockovich". In the end, no one can really hide all the traces that lead to the truth especially not for $985 worth of copies. What does it take to hide the truth? Well, if you pay very close attention to this brilliantly acted, written and directed albeit a bit lengthy film you just may find out! Sometimes the ghosts you see are really for real and Shiva the God of death returns to save the honor of a deceased friend and those killed by corporate greed. This film will most likely not appeal to the young movie audience but will surely find its viewer amongst those who enjoy a good novel filled with the maturity of life's decisions.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.