Michael Clayton | DVD Review

Subplots find title character Michael Clayton (George Clooney) bickering with his two brothers: one a policeman, one a drug addict. Clayton’s a curious blend of both, an ex-gambling addict who attempts to do good through his job but often fails, and it’s exactly this classic dialectic between the stereotypical good and stereotypical bad, made fresh in the more than adept hands of writer-director Tony Gilroy (previous writing credits include the fast and smart Bourne trilogy), that drives this movie along.

It’s nice you get such a perfect hybrid of edge-of-your-seat thriller and character drama; but it is certainly both suspenseful and thought-provoking to see Clayton teeter from one side to another as a sort of NY law firm handyman, sent in to clean up the mess after other lawyers’ failing cases. This case features Clayton heading in after fellow attorney Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson, in a very strong supporting role) to follow up on defending chemical company U-North, headed by Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton in her Oscar-winning role). The company has been accused of knowingly selling carcinogenic products to farmers, and the ruthless Crowder, Clayton’s boss, and several thugs are bent on coaching Clayton to deflect the lawsuit against them without revealing any of U-North’s dirty records.

The critical acclaim the movie received is well-deserved, with seven Oscar nominations—including Best Picture—and one win, the Venice film fest’s top award, and top ratings from most of the country’s critics. Swinton is particularly stunning as one of the most fleshed out ‘villains’ in movie history; in one particularly moving scene her cool, calculating veneer is replaced by a sweating, pony-tailed woman bobbing up and down with nervous tics as she attempts to ask a thug to go to extreme and murderous lengths to sort out U-North’s mess but can’t quite say it.


The DVD comes with a rather disappointing commentary by Tony Gilroy and editor John Gilroy in English, French or Spanish. Instead of gaining any insight from the mind who pieced together such a well-made screenplay and film about the controversial, heavy material, the commentary is little more than the two Gilroys inconsistently waxing poetic on every actor and crew member involved with the film, without ever offering explanations why the praise was well-deserved or what went into the process of creating such fine performances.

Three deleted scenes are only vaguely interesting; these, including one that introduced a superfluous romantic interest of Clayton’s, merely prove that Tony Gilroy wisely cut them.

Michael Clayton is thoughtfully-made and requires thoughtful viewing. Strong performances and a terse, strong script make this movie worthwhile of all the attention it received in terms of noms and critic’s top ten lists.

Movie rating – 4.5

Disc Rating – 2