---
title: "Michael Clayton"
year: 2007
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/michael-clayton"
fi1m_id: "michael-clayton"
imdb_id: "tt0465538"
tmdb_id: 4566
wikidata_id: "Q694140"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:30.416257+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael Clayton (2007)

Directed by Tony Gilroy · 2h 00m · MPA R · Drama, Thriller, Crime

## Identity

Michael Clayton

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/michael-clayton
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-clayton
- **IMDb ID:** tt0465538
- **TMDB ID:** 4566
- **Wikidata ID:** Q694140
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465538/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/4566, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q694140

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 72 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* George Clooney makes being the person everyone calls look like a sound reason to change your number

> Tony Gilroy’s *Michael Clayton* is a patient, gripping corporate thriller, with George Clooney making professional competence look painfully costly. The plotting sometimes complicates what is already clear, but the performances make the damage done by this work hard to dismiss.

## Synopsis

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) works as a fixer for corporate lawyers, handling problems that do not fit neatly into a legal brief. A class-action lawsuit against a large corporation entangles him with Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) and Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton). Clayton can manage other people’s difficulties, but his own professional disappointments are harder to contain. The case brings pressure on three isolated people whose working lives depend on decisions they would rather not examine. Written and directed by Tony Gilroy, the film follows their involvement in a dispute that puts corporate loyalty and personal conscience into conflict.

## Review

Tony Gilroy gives the corporate fixer the attention usually reserved for the lawyer making the closing speech. *Michael Clayton* is a gripping, quietly upsetting thriller about the fatigue of remaining good at work that has become hard to defend. The class-action suit against a large corporation supplies the danger, but Gilroy keeps returning to what these people have learnt to tolerate. The plotting sometimes becomes needlessly elaborate; the attention to professional shame is what makes the film worth staying with.

George Clooney plays Clayton without treating his fatigue as an invitation to coast. We believe people would keep turning to this man for help. The disappointment remains visible when the case gives him something immediate to concentrate on; he can do the job, but it costs him. We were unexpectedly moved by the pause with three horses, because the interruption lets us see how worn down he has become.

Tom Wilkinson’s Arthur Edens gives the crisis of conscience a force that stops the film settling into tasteful gloom. Tilda Swinton’s Karen Crowder is just as important, making professional pressure feel intimate and difficult to contain. Both performances suggest lonely people who have had too much practice putting their work first. Gilroy gives them enough attention that the lawsuit never becomes simply a mechanism for getting Clayton from one predicament to the next.

Robert Elswit’s shadowed cinematography is restrained enough to let us attend to the actors, and the tiredness in these faces suits the light. Production designer Kevin Thompson keeps the corporate spaces grey and unwelcoming, though their uniform bleakness can become oppressive. James Newton Howard’s understated score sustains unease without treating each conversation as a momentous event. These are sensible choices for a film in which listening to people talk is supposed to be worth our attention.

John Gilroy’s editing lets scenes breathe. The larger structure keeps us uncertain about how the pieces fit, though some of that complication merely delays information rather than making the situation more interesting. Tony Gilroy’s writing is surer in conversations about the firm’s business, where professional language makes dubious conduct sound manageable. The dialogue is heightened, certainly, yet the actors make it credible that intelligent people could talk themselves into accepting what they ought to question.

The film trusts us to follow a conversation without a fresh threat arriving every few minutes. That patience gives us time to notice how easily corporate loyalty can excuse individual choices, and how much effort goes into keeping the business respectable. Within the legal thriller, this attention to ordinary working habits is welcome, particularly when the cast can make a discussion of the firm’s affairs so tense. We keep watching because these people seem capable of making bad decisions for reasons they could explain quite reasonably.

Set aside its 120 minutes for an evening when the dialogue can have your attention. Anyone seeking a brisk succession of shocks should choose something else. Leave the work emails until afterwards.

*Fi1m score 86, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond favourably to Michael Clayton, with praise clustering around the performances and its attention to the personal cost of corporate corruption. Clooney’s worn-down fixer is the chief attraction, while Wilkinson and Swinton receive strong notices for their supporting work. The favourable reviews also value Gilroy’s dialogue and controlled direction, finding tension in compromised characters and legal manoeuvring rather than constant action. Several see the character study as at least as compelling as the thriller.

The spread is fairly wide, with pace, plotting and emotional payoff dividing opinion. What admirers find measured and atmospheric, others find slow or confusing. Screen Daily praises the supporting performances but finds the emotional rewards lacking. The AV Club admires the moral complexity while arguing that the resolution is too slick. Little White Lies offers a more broadly negative response to the grey corporate setting, though it still finds individual images and moments effective.

## Straight answers

**Is Michael Clayton worth watching?**

*Michael Clayton* is worth watching for anyone who can give two hours to a patient corporate thriller built on conversation, and we scored it 86. George Clooney makes a fixer's competence look painfully costly, with Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton just as strong. The plotting sometimes complicates what is already clear; anyone wanting a brisk run of shocks should look elsewhere.

**How long is Michael Clayton, and what is it rated?**

*Michael Clayton* runs 2h 00m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Michael Clayton in the US?**

*Michael Clayton* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Michael Clayton, and is it suitable for children?**

*Michael Clayton* is a UK 15 and US R, and its adult content is mostly in its subject: corporate wrongdoing, professional pressure and the strain on the people caught in it. The unease comes from talk and shadowed rooms rather than sustained violence or frights. It is a film for adults and older teenagers who will sit through long, tense conversations, not for children.

**How does Michael Clayton compare to The Verdict?**

*Michael Clayton* and [*The Verdict*](https://film.one/film/the-verdict) both follow a worn-down legal professional looking for a reason to keep doing the job, but Gilroy's film is a tenser thriller while Lumet's is a slower redemption drama. *The Verdict* is the more moving of the two, though its solemn pace can turn self-important. Choose Clooney for grip, Newman for feeling.

**What should I watch after Michael Clayton?**

After *Michael Clayton*, try [*The Verdict*](https://film.one/film/the-verdict) (1982, Fi1m 84): A battered legal professional seeks a reason to keep doing the job. Then [*The Insider*](https://film.one/film/the-insider) (1999, Fi1m 89): Corporate pressure applied through conversations that leave everyone looking physically depleted; and [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) (1963, Fi1m 90): A corporate thriller that makes money, status and decency painfully difficult to separate.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **Vulture** (85/100, inferred): Gilroy delivers a measured conspiracy thriller about corporate corruption and personal conscience, highlighted by excellent performances from Clooney and Swinton and a cathartic dialogue climax. The measured pace builds effective tension. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-michael-clayton.html)
- **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (B+): Gilroy's debut effectively explores corporate duplicity through a morally exhausted protagonist, with standout work from Clooney, Wilkinson, and Swinton in a shadowy, atmospheric package. The slick ending undercuts some of the moral ambiguity. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/michael-clayton-1798203121)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Kirk Honeycutt (80/100, inferred): Gilroy's directorial debut crafts tense characters and situations with strong payoffs in a corporate thriller. The cast, led by Clooney, delivers solid performances despite some plot inconsistencies. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/michael-clayton-george-clooney-tony-gilroy-158230/)
- **Time Out**, Ben Walters (4/5): The critic notes shades of Erin Brockovich in this corporate thriller about a fixer caught in a class-action lawsuit against a megacorporation. Strong points include an unpredictable structure, excellent cast and striking set pieces like an efficient murder and a sombre final shot. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/michael-clayton)
- **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (65/100, inferred): The film taps into disgust with amoral corporate practices but relies on a conventional narrative and Clooney's charisma to obscure its wish-fulfillment elements. Peripheral details add some depth to the characters and situations. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/michael-clayton/)
- **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): Clooney plays an isolated fixer in a slow, moody thriller with a social conscience, supported by strong turns from Wilkinson and Swinton. The film lacks emotional payoffs and feels disorienting at times despite its ethical themes. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/michael-clayton/4034278.article)
- **Little White Lies**, Lorien Haynes (4/2/2): The film is described as grey and metallic in tone, focusing on corporate lawyers in a bland wasteland. Praise goes to symbolic elements like three horses, a shocking murder sequence and a satisfying final payoff involving Clooney and Swinton. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/michael-clayton)
- **Empire**, Kim Newman: The critic finds the issue-led thriller has a grabby opening and offers moments of suspense plus star charisma, but notes it is a touch confused with unnecessarily convoluted plotting. It stacks the deck by not showing the protagonists' earlier misdeeds. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/michael-clayton-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: The critic praises the film as a smart and suspenseful legal thriller that comes completely alive on-screen thanks to Gilroy's heightened dialogue and instinct for emotional intensity. He singles out the excellent cast, especially Clooney, Wilkinson and Swinton, for bringing the textured script to life. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-05-et-clayton5-story.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Clooney delivers an arresting performance as a damaged, defeated fixer in a corporate-legal thriller swathed in anxiety and shame. The film functions more as a character study of swallowed disappointment than a conventional paranoia thriller. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/sep/28/georgeclooney.thriller)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby: The critic calls the film enormous fun with pace, drive and a beautiful modulated performance from Clooney, praising its smart, detailed dialogue about law-firm corruption. He notes a single uncanny pause with horses as a highlight but hopes the director will let future films breathe more. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/10/08/lost-men)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: The critic finds the film a modest but adult, sincere and intelligent reappraisal of the legal thriller genre that entertains without shame. She singles out its steady direction and the way it speaks to contemporary corporate power. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/movies/05clay.html)
- **The Times**, James Christopher: Clooney is a haunted marvel as the jaundiced corporate fixer whose Faustian talent has left personal scars. The legal thrills hinge on skulduggery in a class-action suit, with strong support from Wilkinson and others in Gilroy's directorial debut. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/michael-clayton-c52c5ww7q56)
- **Variety**, Brian Lowry: The critic describes the film as spare and unhurried with strong performances and a solid story about corporate machinery, but notes it lacks fireworks and can feel slow-paced. He highlights realistic shades of gray and the understated contributions of the cinematography and score. [Read](https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/michael-clayton-5-1200556810/)
- **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (B+): The film is a loose, slow-burn crisis-of-conscience tale that lingers deliberately like 1970s thrillers rather than rushing to a tight conclusion. It offers a nostalgic and unique ride about moral crisis, though the ending feels a little Hollywood. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/capsule-reviews-lars-real-girl-michae-20071016/)
- **Paste**, Jeremy Goldmeier (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Gilroy's directorial debut for balancing character studies of three lonely figures entangled in a corporate lawsuit with a gripping, intricately plotted thriller. It singles out the film's insightful exploration of moral conflicts within big business and how seemingly ordinary actions by individuals shape corporate ethics. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/george-clooney/michael-clayton)

## Details

- **Director:** Tony Gilroy
- **Director:** Tony Gilroy
- **Writer:** Tony Gilroy
- **Cinematography:** Robert Elswit
- **Editor:** John Gilroy
- **Music:** James Newton Howard
- **Production design:** Kevin Thompson
- **Costume design:** Sarah Edwards
- **Producer:** Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, Steve Samuels
- **Cast:** George Clooney as Michael Clayton; Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Edens; Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder; Sydney Pollack as Marty Bach; Michael O'Keefe as Barry Grissom; Ken Howard as Don Jeffries; Sean Cullen as Gene Clayton; Merritt Wever as Anna
- **Runtime:** 2h 00m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 12 October 2007
- **Genres:** Drama, Thriller, Crime
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2007); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2007)
- **Budget:** $25 million
- **Box office:** $93 million

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $9.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AT, AU, CA, CH, DE, FR, GB, IE, IT, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2008: Best Actor (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (won)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2008: Best Actor in a Leading Role (nominated); Best Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated); Best Original Screenplay (nominated)
- Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture 2008: Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture (nominated)
- SAG Awards 2008: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (nominated); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (nominated)
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 2007: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (nominated)
- Golden Globes 2007: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (nominated); Best Motion Picture – Drama (nominated)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress 2007: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture 2007: Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 2007: Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Verdict* (1982), Fi1m 84: A battered legal professional seeks a reason to keep doing the job. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-verdict.md)
- *The Insider* (1999), Fi1m 89: Corporate pressure applied through conversations that leave everyone looking physically depleted. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-insider.md)
- *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90: A corporate thriller that makes money, status and decency painfully difficult to separate. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *The Headless Woman* (2008): Another compromised professional, surrounded by comfortable people skilled at avoiding awkward questions.
- *A Most Wanted Man* (2014): Professional exhaustion and institutional pressure, with patient suspense and little appetite for reassurance.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/michael-clayton