The film chronicles the attempts by attorney michael clayton to cope with a colleagues apparent mental breakdown and the corruption and intrigue surrounding a major client of his law firm. The way this movie approaches characters is very interesting, as they are shown in their weakest of moments and in their worst state of mind. That sounds just a little bit horrible because michael clayton is a little bit of a slimeball, though michael clayton the movie is all about his redemption and his journey back to decent humanity. While, in a sense, all of the firms attorneys fix problems, clayton specializes in more sensitive issues, ones that sometimes skirt the boundaries of legality or morality. May 16, 2014 michael clayton 2007 official trailer george clooney, tilda swinton movie hd. Michael clayton 2007 michael clayton george clooney, a highpricedlawfirms fixer, leaves a latenight poker game, gets a call to drive to westchester, and watches his car blow up as hes taking an impromptu dawn walk through a field. George clooney, who usually looks like the cat who swallowed the canary, foregoes all mannerisms in the title role and actually creates a character.
Addressing his old friendcolleague michael clayton george clooney in a kind of confession, arthur laments his career of defending corrupt, wealthy clients. Are you so fucking blind that you dont even see what i am. The film chronicles the attempts by attorney michael clayton to cope with a colleagues apparent mental breakdown and the corruption and. For those that have seen it and are looking for the book realm and conquest, which the film highlights throughout the movie, the seattle post. The relationship to the horse and tree in arthurs book is the subtext, but not the reason. Books by michael clayton author of the ride of my life. New york film locations from the movie michael clayton starring george clooney. Michael clayton has 24 books on goodreads with 89 ratings. Its the part of the book after the climax where the. Oct 12, 2007 that sounds just a little bit horrible because michael clayton is a little bit of a slimeball, though michael clayton the movie is all about his redemption and his journey back to decent humanity. See all books authored by michael clayton, including the chase.
The official screenplay book tiein to the hit thriller from warner bros. A the official screenplay book tiein to the hit thriller from warner bros. Along with being a killer film, gilroys script offers fascinating insight into who the. In direct answer to why there are three horses on the hill, when there is only one in the book, it alludes to michael being one of three brothers. I remember being blown away by michael clayton in the theater thirteen years ago, thinking it was bonkers that tony gilroy had been doing serviceable writing work in the bourne movies instead of making his own smart, stylish, ideadriven, beautifully shot movies all along. In michael clayton, written and directed by tony gilroy, that conscience seems to have gone m. Everyone fears a legal letter from a firm like kenner, bach and ledeen, which typically signifies lots of unpleasant prospects. With its recent release on dvdbluray, i wanted to highlight something that came up while i was watching it last night.
Michael clayton was released over a decade ago, but it continues to hold up incredibly well. Was the film michael clayton based on a true story answers. Michael clayton 2007 michael clayton george clooney, a highpricedlawfirms fixer, leaves a latenight poker game, gets a call to drive to westchester, and watches his car blow up as hes taking an impromptu dawn walk through a. Thats precisely how he gets saved when the car bomb explodes.
Michael clayton 2007 former prosecutor michael clayton george clooney works as a fixer at the corporate law firm of kenner, bach and ledeen, and takes care of his employers dirty work. Here is the official screenplay book tiein to the hit thriller from warner bros. A modern guide to foxhunting, and the love of horses, and more on. The script is phenomenal and the acting is close to.
Michael clayton george clooney is an inhouse fixer at one of the largest corporate law firms in new york. It begins with the breakdown of successful highstakes lawyer arthur edens tom wilkinson. A law firm brings in its fixer to remedy the situation after. This means that he fixes problems for the firms clients. For those that have seen it and are looking for the book realm and. At the behest of the firms cofounder marty bach sydney. Sep 28, 2007 as a corporateparanoia movie, michael clayton has something in common with michael manns the insider, and at a further remove with coppolas the conversation. The image of the tree and the horses gave clayton reason to pause and ponder his son and his life, which. Deft and intelligent, michael clayton is at heart a conventional story about a worldweary hero confronting a difficult moral decision. Writerdirector tom gilroy is mainly responsible here, combining exceptional dialogue and determined performances to serve a plot that holds you from the start and never once lets go. Michael clayton and the case of the three horses movie. Of course i dont think clooney is anything like a slimeball though i do think there are probably things that smart, talented, ambitious people. Michael clayton, written and directed by tony gilroy who wrote a couple of the bourne movies, plays into a pretty common form of contemporary american paranoia.
Michael clayton, a 2007 american legal thriller, is the story of a man called michael clayton who is an inhouse fixer at one of the largest corporate law firms in new york. Michael claytons most popular book is the ride of my life. In response to the answer man item about the significance of the horses in the field of michael clayton, the reason clayton stopped at the horses and the tree was because this was a significant image in the red book his son had given him to read the book he couldnt find time for. The plot thickens slowly throughout the film, up until the breathtaking climax. Michael had just left his fixer client, and had begun to head back home. Clooney is the eponymous 45yearold michael clayton, son of an irishamerican cop, product of a minor law school, experienced in handling crime. Michael clayton tony gilroy paperback harpercollins publishers. At the beginning of michael clayton, michael stops his car to.
Michael clayton, the best movie with a deceptively. By putting such an impasse at the heart of the movie, michael clayton becomes more than an edgeofyourseat legal drama. Michael clayton has almost the clearest act of selfsacrifice and redemption of any of his movies, but it is still done so late and so quickly that its almost as if tony is afraid of really pursuing the conclusion of his premise. Clayton cleans up clients messes, handling anything from hitandruns and damaging stories in the press to shoplifting wives and crooked politicians. Michael clayton is a lawyer who works as a consultant for a big law firm in new york. What michael clayton warned us about 2017 the atlantic. He works in the shadows, cleaning up messes, and he is a realist. One brother, timothy has a life falling apart and has screwed michael over in the past angering him. Oct 05, 2007 in michael clayton, written and directed by tony gilroy, that conscience seems to have gone m. A law firm brings in its fixer to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibilliondollar class action suit. Nov 04, 2017 michael clayton is a wonderfully understated thriller. Michael clayton is a movie so smartly written that at times it left my head spinning. He got out of the car to take a closer look at them as they coincided with the sketch of three horses in the book with the red cover, realm and conquest. With a little more emphasis and a lot less foul language, this could have been a really great movie.
Michael clayton books list of books by author michael. In michael clayton, what is the meaning of the horses. Great movie came from a great script and gilroy is one of the best. A 2007 legal thriller starring george clooney, tom wilkinson, tilda swinton, and sydney pollack.
Nov 05, 2007 here is the official screenplay book tiein to the hit thriller from warner bros. Michael claytons little red book the manchild chronicles. Michael clayton is a great film because underneath the stylishness, the performances, the dialogue, and the closedcircuit plotting, underneath everything that got it nominated for seven academy. Be the first to ask a question about michael clayton. Is the plot of michael clayton based on any preexisting publication such as book or. One client complains bitterly that he was told clayton was a miracle worker.
Sign up for bookperkdaily bookish finds, fantastic deals, giveaways, and more. It doesnt have fight scenes or a dramatic score or the kinetic feel of a bourne moviea franchise that director tony gilroy is famous for. Theyre reserved for films so true and with humanly complex characters. Michael clayton george clooney handles all of the dirty work for a major new york law firm, arranging topflight legal services and skirting through loopholes for ethically questionable clients. Oct 26, 2017 in direct answer to why there are three horses on the hill, when there is only one in the book, it alludes to michael being one of three brothers. Michael clayton george clooney is an inhouse fixer. He is good at his job, but he is also a compulsive gambler. Rent michael clayton 2007 starring george clooney and tom wilkinson on dvd and bluray. But when a fellow fixer decides to turn on the very firm they were hired to clean up for, clayton finds himself at the center of a conspiratorial. We search near and far for original movie trailer from all decades.
Clayton cleans up clients messes, handling anything from hitandruns and damaging stories in the press to. Michael clayton is a 2007 american legal thriller film written and directed by tony gilroy in his. Michael clayton takes a stand on corruption, as in syriana, another clooney film. In this movie we find michael stops his car when he sees three horses standing a bit far away from the road.
As a corporateparanoia movie, michael clayton has something in common with michael manns the insider, and at a further remove with coppolas the conversation. Michael clayton, the best movie with a deceptively boring. Michael clayton was a good movie for those john grisham types. Michael clayton 2007 frequently asked questions imdb. With george clooney, tilda swinton, tom wilkinson, michael okeefe. The difference is that while the contents of the case is not critical to the plot of ronin, it is absolutely pivotal to driving the action of michael clayton. Michael clayton 2007 official trailer george clooney. At the beginning of michael clayton, michael stops his car. Is there a philosophical significance of three horses in.
If youre in the mood for a film to wash away the cares of the day as i was. Michael clayton 2007 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. But when a fellow fixer decides to turn on the very firm they were hired to clean up for, clayton finds himself at the center of a conspiratorial maelstrom. His job is to fix any manner of legal problems for the firm, be it big or small.
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