Michael Clayton

Review by Steve Rogers

Production Year: 2007
DVD Release Date: February 19, 2008
Studio: Warner Home Video
Director: Tony Gilroy
Cast: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R

While the 2007 Oscar nominees were short on mainstream fare from the big studios, Michael Clayton was a notable exception. The directorial debut for screenwriter Tony Gilroy, the film offered an above average take on the standard legal drama/thriller, with an intelligent script and flawless performances all around. This wasn’t a suspenseful whodunit replete with car chases or a courtroom procedural, but a study instead of complex personalities caught up in events beyond their control. And Gilroy’s directing acumen held it all together to create a dynamic piece of provocative entertainment.

The story is built around the title character, a hard-bitten lawyer with a top corporate law firm, who spends most of his time as the company fixer, the high paid guy who cleans up nasty legal messes and ensures their disappearance. George Clooney is perfect as Clayton, a suave looking Wall Street-type who’s become a bit frayed around the edges, with the wear and tear of a failed marriage, gambling habit, and a major debt owed to some thugs for a bankrupt restaurant he owns. When George Edens (Tom Wilkinson), a colleague of Clayton who’s been working on a nasty class action lawsuit, freaks out and strips naked at a deposition, the firm sends Clayton to sort things out and get him under control. The lawsuit concerns UNorth, a major corporate agribusiness accused of criminal negligence through its use of toxic manufacturing ingredients. Edens has gone off his meds and his rocker, become convinced he’s the savior of the world, and most importantly is about to blow the whistle on the corporate polluters he’s been hired to defend. Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton in an Oscar-winning portrayal) is UNorth’s high priced lead counsel who’s brokering the deal, and she’s not about to let Eden’s mental instability get in the way of closing the door on her company’s ugly little secret. The unsavory methods she resorts to form the basis for the most dramatic elements of the film’s plot and set all the characters on a collision course expertly navigated by Gilroy.

Michael Clayton impresses for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the film’s performances. Clooney fits Clayton to a tee, and Gilroy states in his commentary that the film would not have been made without him. But even though George was “the man” for this movie, there are other great performances. Swinton is just fine as a smarmy suit who becomes increasingly desperate as the plots unfolds and the stakes grow higher. Wilkinson is wonderful as Edens, just loony enough to get the point across, but lucid enough to convince you he really is fed up with corporate malfeasance, mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. And Sydney Pollack as the law firm’s president lends his patented gravitas and an earthy realism to the role. I have yet to see Pollack in a role where he didn’t nail it perfectly.

Though the film begins with a flash forward to a closing scene and then reverts to flashback mode for the duration, any confusion in plot points are quickly clarified and there are no intricate twists and turns to confuse matters (though a few curveballs crop up along the way). My only quibbles were a slight predictability and a somewhat telegraphed ending. But Michael Clayton delights as the cinematic equivalent of a real page-turner, and offers a bit of food for thought for alert viewers. Just make sure you avoid the food from UNorth’s fields.

Video Quality

The DVD of Michael Clayton received a wide ranging round of kudos for its visual presentation and visual quality, so I must believe I received a defective copy. The first 20 minutes or so were hopelessly grainy and slightly unfocused. Then just as the movie switched to flashback mode the picture improved to the spectacular pristine transfer I had been expecting. Colors were bold and bright, while darker scenes were beautifully rendered. The shiny fluorescence of the law offices, brightly lit streets of New York City at night, and crowded barrooms came alive with a dazzling vibrancy. Shots of Clayton driving through rural New York in the early morning hours were eerily perfect and brightly lit hotel boardrooms were awash with an ultra-natural looking glare. I’ll assume the early picture problems were a disc defect and say this video image ranks with the best for picture clarity and definition. It is a gorgeous transfer. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.

Audio Quality

The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track was surprisingly muted. Effects were limited to front pans and the rear channels and sub were barely engaged. Since the film was extensively dialogue driven with a subtle soundtrack, this did not detract from the presentation and vocal levels remained excellent throughout.

Special Features

Not much to speak of here. The primary feature is a commentary with Gilroy and his brother, John (the film’s editor) offering less than scintillating tidbits on the filmmaking process. It’s mostly Tony doing the gabbing and the commentary at times lapses into the George Clooney Appreciation Society. They do compliment the other actors, though interestingly enough there is virtually nothing mentioned about Swinton’s eventual Academy Award-winning performance. The other feature consists of three deleted scenes with optional commentary, including one with Clayton and his current girlfriend. No sparks to be seen between the two of them, and these three scenes were best left on the proverbial cutting room floor.

Summary

Michael Clayton is a Grade A legal thriller with thought-provoking content delivered via some very skilled filmmaking techniques. With a spectacular video transfer and outstanding acting performances, it is a pleasure to watch on DVD. Only a paucity of special features keeps this DVD from receiving the highest marks.