Others say...

"not very interesting"
This isn't one of George Clooney's better movies. Right from the beginning the movie demands a LOT of your attention, or you will end up very confused in a matter of 5 minutes. The suspense or mystery wasn't really intriguing to me, and the only part that really interested me was when George's character pulled over to some field, seen some unusually quiet horses, then his car blew up behind him, shocking him badly (and shocking the viewers too- didn't see THAT coming!)

After that scene, you really need to pay close attention to everything else to understand what's going on.

"Great Company"
Very fast shipping, everything was as described. Fantastic deal. Will definitely deal with this company again.

"Lively thriller."
This is a lively thriller that goes deeper than it appeared from the trailer or previews. An attorney with a conscience is killed when he tries to help a young girl being hurt by a huge corporate cover up. His friend, Michael Clayton, is the next on the hit list and pursued once he begins to peel away the layers of his friend's mysterious death. When Clayton accidentally uncovers a pile of lies, the only way to save himself seems to be 'playing dead' while he sniffs out the people behind the arranged 'accidents'.

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

"Risky business."
In my opinion, this is a film you must watch more than one time. The first time, you absorb the plot as a whole. The other times you watch it to catch the nuances. I thought George Clooney is really fine in a discreet interpretation of a kind of lawyer specialized in cleaning up the mess from some clients. Unfortunately, he has to dealt with a huge of a problem involving a powerful corporate law firm and a more powerful and dangerous client. Innocent people's lives are threatened and a courageus but tormented attorney (Tom Wilkinson) bring up all the deadly mess. Cloney then chooses the side he wishes to stay with a clever outcome.

"Intelligent Filmmaking, or Subpar Execution?"
Without a doubt, I love the film Michael Clayton. A big proponent for me about why I love films is the atmosphere they give off, and Michael Clayton oozes atmosphere. The dark blues, the deep blacks, the lingering almost haunting background music and the few loud, bright explosions make you jump. However, this will mean that some people will find the film boring, slow, dumb and hard to follow. And honestly, I can understand why people have those feelings about Clayton, this isn't a big crime mystery filled with suspense, this is a dialogue driven movie, and one that succeeds with that in mind.

Playing Michael Clayton is the brilliant George Clooney who shows that he doesn't need to be humorous or cunning to make a character come to life. Clooney's portrayal of Clayton works because of the little things; the facial animations and the way he speaks. Clayton is good at what he does, but he's ultimately a wreck for numerous reasons. He hides in his suits and confuses people about just what exactly he is, but beneath we see his life isn't so solid. But that's not the story of the film.

The story - I think, I'm not even actually positive here because the film is a bit confusing at times, even after multiple viewings - is about corporate greed, corrpution and "fixing errors". The company in question is U/North which has a bad habit of killing people will some bad products or reactions from them, and they've hired someone to defend them in court. However, as the story unravels, this man turns against U/North and either goes crazy, or is finally thinking clearly - depending on which side of the story you're on. This character, Arthur, is played brilliantly by Tom Wilkenson.

He's wild, talks fast, loud and a bit of a loose screw and compliments Clooney perfectly by being the opposite of the composed and quiet Clayton.

As the movie progresses, it gets a little blurry about what's happening and why something happens and why someone does what they do or who they even are. But if you give the film a chance to grow and if you can sit through it and pay attention, chances are you'll enjoy it.

Obviously, trying to be such a serious film means it should do everything correctly, and there are numerous glaring weaknesses about crucial points in the film. Without giving too much away, I'll say this; if you've seen any CSI episodes or know anything basic about how police complete crime scene scenarios, you will scoff at 2 major moments in the film.

If I just had to give it a score about overall enjoyment, I would easily give it a 5/5, however, if I was to give a more detailed and cynical analysis of it, I would give the film an 8/10.