Michael Clayton (2007)

suspense film featuring George Clooney

Director:  Tony Gilroy

 

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a “fixer”. He is the “go-to guy” who uses his connections, influence, and his knowledge of legal loopholes for his clients' (often improprietous) benefit.  At the beginning, he seems to have a gambling problem, losing a bunch of money in a late-night poker game. He receives a call and must go to a wealthy client of his company to solve the problem of a hit-and-run.  When he is finished, he is driving aimlessly and pulls off the road to admire three horses who stand on top of a hill. When he arrives to look at them, his car mysteriously explodes.

 

Then we go back four days to see the entire story which involves corruption and the attempt of a large company to cover up its “sins” of producing a weed killer that it knows to be carcinogenic.  One of the lead attorneys, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) for the company where Clayton works, seems to have gone nutso. At a deposition against U-North, the manufacturer of the weed killer, he stripped naked, because he is bi-polar and wasn’t taking his meds. He has uncovered the cancer-causing problem. Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), lead counsel for U-North sees Arthur’s briefcase and knows that he has seen the U-North memo detailing the problem. After bugging his apartment and tapping his phone, she knows he is building a case againt U-North. She arranges for him to die, hiring two hit men.   Clayton becomes suspicious and begins to investigate, even more wary, when he sees his car explode.  He throws some belongings in the car making it appear that he died.  Then,

he appears at a U-North  board meeting, demands $10 million from Crowder, to which she agrees. then he reveals that their conversation was recorded.

 

Michael Clayton’s character is quite unique, including the relationship he has with son Henry (Austin Williams).  Sydney Pollack also stars as Marty Bach, one of the  heads of  Kenner, Bach & Ledeen, the firm where Clayton works.