Movie reviews: Michael Clayton (2007)
Michael Clayton is working for a top lawyer firm and he does their dirty work, he is called out late a night to help with a new case but when he leaves to come home his car blows up, fortunately he was not in the car at the time. We are then taken to 4 days previous to this.
At the company where Michael works they are trying to make settlement on a case which has been going on for a few years but one of the company partners has gone slightly mad and is taking the opposite side. Michael is called in to try and talk to Arthur and get his to see sense before he ruins the whole case and brings the company down. Michael has his work cut out trying to get through to Arthur and soon find incriminating evidence that Arthur is right n what he claims. The company and lawyer firm now have to take steps to keep Arthur and Michael quiet but at what cost?
The one thing which appealed to me about this film was George Clooney, I had no other motive for wanting to watch but I have to say I was very surprised by the film and thoroughly enjoyed it. The storyline was good and the way we went back in time was very easy to follow. I enjoyed how we saw the darker side of the law business and thought it was put across in a very believable way.
George Clooney took the lead role of Michael and he was excellent. I loved his character and found it very easy to get to know and understand him. He came across as a hard man but the addition of his son was good as it showed a softer side to the character as well. He suited the role and delivered his lines with a good air of authority and made me believe what he was saying. He worked well with young Austin Williams who played his son Henry and they had a good on screen bond. The role of Arthur was played by Tom Wilkinson and he too was great. I loved how we got a good strong English actor in the role and thought he played the part to perfection. He did come across as not being fully right mentally and he did not over play this so it was very believable.
We had a lot of good supporting actors in the film and some included, Michael O’Keefe, Sydney Pollack, Tilda Swinton and Denis O’Hare, they were all quite different characters and bought so depth and diversity to the film.
There was not much action in the film but it really did not need it. The story was strong enough and I think if any would have been added with the exception of the car explosion it would have made the storyline a bit far-fetched. It was set in America and was clearly
shot on location as I was not able to notice any badly added back drops or bad effects. The effects all fitted well into the film and were well produced and made. The costumes did not require much effort as the majority of the cast were wearing suits, very smart ones though and this really did make the characters look stronger and hard nosed. The music was good and helped add to the tension and drama of the storyline, it was not one which was outstanding, but suitable for the film and the places in which the tracks were used.
The DVD which I have does have a few bonus features which include:-
Commentary by Director Tony Gilbert and Editor John Gilroy
Deleted Scenes with Optional commentary by Tony Gilbert and John Gilroy.
As neither me of hubby are fans of bonus features we have not taken the time to watch these.
The running time of the film is 114 minutes and I found this to be a good length with the storyline moving at a god steady pace from start to finish. The rate for the film is a 15 as there is lots of strong violence and a few sex references. I do agree with this rate. I paid just £3 for the DVD from my local shop, because they are selling off their DVD range and I thought this was a bargain price. I would suggest that you shop around to try and find a similar offer.
This film definitely gets a strong 4/5 stars from both hubby and I. The storyline was good and I enjoyed the ending. The acting was strong from all involved and George Clooney was super and very enjoyable to watch.
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