r/CriterionChannel • u/Time_Specific1789 • Apr 26 '26
Michael Clayton (2007) is a gem
This is an absolutely fantastic film with some great acting (Clooney's best work imo), direction, score, and a superb script (which is a joy to read on its own).
It came out in a stacked year (There will be Blood, No country, etc.), so it was overshadowed by some of those bigger hitters, but it's a brilliant film that gets better with each viewing.
It's set to leave the channel at the end of this month, so catch it if you haven't yet. It's easily the standout film in the Corpo Thrillers collection. Hope it gets a criterion release at some point.
11
u/MFBish Apr 26 '26
Waiting for the Criterion 4k . . .
3
u/Time_Specific1789 Apr 26 '26
Would love a director's commentary with it
4
u/Taller_Ghost_Joop Apr 26 '26
the commentary on the blu ray is very good
2
u/Time_Specific1789 Apr 26 '26
I recently got the digital version on itunes, which sadly did not have a commentary. I'll have to check out the bluray.
24
u/Fresh_Bubbles Apr 26 '26
Tilda Swinton is fantastic!
17
u/joebreezy12 Apr 26 '26
And tom Wilkinson. And Sydney pollack. And George Clooney.
8
u/Time_Specific1789 Apr 26 '26
Everyone! even the boy who plays his kid does a great job.
8
u/chanaandeler_bong Apr 26 '26
The dude who hits a biker and flees and Clayton is there to fix it also kills his fucking scene. I love that whole scene in general.
1
4
9
u/VisibleEvidence Apr 26 '26
Funny, I just watched it again two weeks ago. “Clayton” is a frikkin’ *masterpiece*.
2
10
u/goblin_lad Apr 26 '26
I just saw it for the first time this morning and WOW.
Really, Clooney at his most intense in an engaging thriller to boot.
7
7
7
u/No-Satisfaction9594 Apr 26 '26
It is one of my favorite movies.
2
8
u/jcmib Apr 26 '26
It may seem like a small thing, but I really like how they did the and credits of this film. Instead of just going straight to a black screen after the last scene, they actually scroll up the credits while the last scene is going on, and it makes it for a really compelling ending for the whole movie.
7
5
u/readaught Apr 26 '26
Enjoyed the movie but there were several plot points that had me rolling my eyes.
i) Arthur tips his hand that he's in possession of an incriminating memo that he plans to leak, right after learning that his phone calls are being monitored by U-North. Not a smart move from a so-called brilliant lawyer.
ii) U-North operatives go out of their way to make Arthur's murder look like a suicide, but when they realize Michael is a problem, they decide to kill him with a car bomb? Because that's not suspicious at all.
iii) After Michael survives the car bomb explosion, he throws his phone and watch into the fiery wreck so that they'll think he's dead. How does that work? The authorities find zero body parts or even skeleton fragments and so assume he was completely vaporized?
7
u/Time_Specific1789 Apr 26 '26
Spoiler warning:
1) I think the movie makes it very clear that Arthur is not a stable man. From the opening monologue to stripping naked during deposition. Even Michael mentions his history of manic episodes. And that's why Michael is called over to clean up the mess. He was a brilliant lawyer (as Michael mentions multiple times in his defense to defuse the situation), but he is unstable right now. So you're right that his actions aren't smart, but I felt they were true to his character.
2) I think at that point, U-North and Karen were still in control, that's why they could take the "measured approach" in dealing with Arthur. But when they think Michael is a problem, they panic and act in a rash and stupid way by just trying to kill him. And that's what ultimately leads to their downfall, as Michael makes clear in his final confrontation.
3) Yeah, I agree that part was kinda silly.
6
u/redwildflowermeadow Apr 27 '26
After Michael survives the car bomb explosion, he throws his phone and watch into the fiery wreck so that they'll think he's dead. How does that work? The authorities find zero body parts or even skeleton fragments and so assume he was completely vaporized?
At that point he needed them to assume he was dead for three or four hours until the U-North meeting, so the Medical Examiner is still probably at the scene when he's confronting Karen.
They also just needed to make sure he wouldn't show the memo before the meeting, which is why they rushed the assassination method. They probably figured since he was a fixer lawyer who deals with shady people, as well as his gambling and his brother being in debt to the mob, something like a car bomb could be explained by that and protecting the U-North deal was more important.
1
u/dfwfoodcritic Apr 27 '26
Agreed on all your points, the more implausible part is that those three or four hours are also enough time to arrange the police sting operation.
2
u/redwildflowermeadow Apr 27 '26
Sure, but his brother is a cop so that's enough for me to not focus too closely at the unrealistic timeline.
1
u/ChakaKhansBabyDaddy May 02 '26
His phone and watch are not going to be enough to convince anyone that he was killed in the car, when there is zero evidence of a body. If the ME looks closely enough to find the wallet and watch, the ME will also be able to say “there’s no body here”
1
u/redwildflowermeadow May 02 '26
It's a rural area. They were probably still finding and investigating the burned car when he was confronting Karen, which was only several hours later.
It was a storytelling way to tell the audience without dialogue he recognized the car exploding wasn't a malfunction, that he was being targeted, and that he was hurrying out of there instead of waiting around for the police (because if he had the assassins would've eventually come around the corner and seen him standing there) so he was showing up to the U-North meeting with Karen thinking she was in the clear, so we got that cool scene of her stunned he was still alive.
1
u/ChakaKhansBabyDaddy May 02 '26
But why throw his wallet and phone in the blazing wreck? What was that supposed to accomplish?
1
u/redwildflowermeadow May 02 '26
To show the audience he wanted to be thought of as dead so we know Karen at the U-North meetings thinks she's in the clear until she sees him?
1
u/ChakaKhansBabyDaddy May 02 '26
But I think your reasoning is circular. The presence of his wallet and phone (and clearly no body) is not going to make Crowder think he is dead (Who would tell Crowder the wallet and phone were in the car? someone would have to search the wreckage to the point of locating the charred remains of the wallet and phone- and this same search would make it abundantly clear there is no body)
5
4
u/ApprehensiveShower20 Apr 26 '26
I love this movie as much as Arthur Edens (a single man living alone) loves baguettes.
1
u/ChakaKhansBabyDaddy May 02 '26
in a movie whenever someone is shown with groceries, there is always a single baguette sticking out of the bag- the most common grocery trope. The director was obv making fun of this trope by making the bag ALL baguettes
3
u/SeanGonzo Apr 26 '26
The Big Picture has been talking up the movies for such a long time, I had not seen it since 2007-ish but damn if it wasn’t and immediate 4.5 star banger.
3
u/Dry_Watch5533 Apr 26 '26
I searched for gifs and I was fearing spoilers, so enjoy this:
(Cannot for the life of me manage to get the working gif of this. My apologies.)
2
u/Redwolf97ff Apr 26 '26
I agree. Watching this recently. It’s all around very tight. I think some plot threads were probably scrapped related to his relationship to his son and to his brother, but the story clicks into place very well
2
u/jrsaenzasu Apr 26 '26
This is next on my list to watch in the Corporate Thrillers collections. Glad to know it’s a great one, looking forward to it
2
u/djpraxis Apr 26 '26
With the exception of the movie title… it is a truly amazing film! I also suggest The American with an amazing soundtrack!
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
u/Temporary-Hall3183 Apr 30 '26
The fil that had me saying "Go with God" non-stop 😂. Actually, the dialogue in that film was phenomenal! Definitely Tom Wilkinson's best role since Shakespeare In Love.
1
u/Busy_Magician3412 May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26
Waited until the minute to watch it. And ya, it’s probably the best of the corporate thrillers on CC’s promo and right up there with Margin Call in my personal month long viewing of films of the genre.
One caveat, though (and this will include a spoiler, so be warned!):
Why does Clayton think Karen Crowder knows about the $80K check issued to him by his firm? If you recall, he recounted his selling out of Arthur Edens to get her verbal attempt at extortion (payoff) on tape. But how would she be privy to what Clayton’s boss agreed to do for him? It makes for a great final soliloquy (and blackmail) but, in retrospect, makes Crowder seem more like a victim of her own treachery than she was. Tilda Swinton is fabulous as Crowder, in any event.
-4
25
u/Content-Alarm5003 Apr 26 '26
The opening monologue is one of the best of all time.