| Photos (see all 57 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 26 NEW) |
| Tom Wilkinson | ... | Arthur Edens | |
| Michael O'Keefe | ... | Barry Grissom | |
| Sydney Pollack | ... | Marty Bach | |
| Danielle Skraastad | ... | Bridget Klein (voice) | |
| Tilda Swinton | ... | Karen Crowder | |
| George Clooney | ... | Michael Clayton | |
| Wai Chan | ... | Chinese Dealer | |
| Alberto Vazquez | ... | Player #1 | |
| Brian Koppelman | ... | Player #2 | |
| Thomas McCarthy | ... | Walter (voice) (as Tom McCarthy) | |
| Denis O'Hare | ... | Mr. Greer | |
| Julie White | ... | Mrs. Greer | |
| Austin Williams | ... | Henry Clayton | |
| Jennifer Van Dyck | ... | Ivy | |
| Frank Wood | ... | Gerald | |
| Richard Hecht | ... | Auctioneer | |
| Bill Raymond | ... | Gabe Zabel | |
| Jonathan Walker | ... | Del (voice) | |
| Sharon Washington | ... | Pam | |
| Cynthia Mace | ... | Wendy (voice) | |
| Michael Countryman | ... | Evan (voice) | |
| Ken Howard | ... | Don Jefferies | |
| Amy Hargreaves | ... | Interviewer | |
| Susan Pellegrino | ... | Secretary | |
| Rachel Black | ... | Maude | |
| Matthew Detmer | ... | Todd | |
| John Douglas Thompson | ... | Jail Guard | |
| Merritt Wever | ... | Anna Kaiserson | |
| Brian Poteat | ... | Deposition Lawyer | |
| Christopher Mann | ... | Lieutenant Elston | |
| Edward Furs | ... | Milwaukee Captain | |
| Katherine Waterston | ... | Third Year | |
| John Gerard Franklin | ... | Correction Officer | |
| Remy Auberjonois | ... | Fifth Year | |
| Pun Bandhu | ... | Fourth Year | |
| Jason Strong | ... | First Year | |
| Robert Prescott | ... | Mr. Verne | |
| Paul Oquist | ... | Starter | |
| Terry Serpico | ... | Mr. Iker | |
| Heidi Armbruster | ... | Anna's Sister | |
| Pamela Gray | ... | Cindy Bach | |
| Andrew Hunter Sherman | ... | UNorth (voice) (as Andrew Sherman) | |
| Kevin Hagan | ... | Raymond Clayton | |
| Julia Gibson | ... | Stephanie Clayton | |
| Sean Cullen | ... | Det. Gene Clayton | |
| Susan Egbert | ... | Michelle | |
| David Lansbury | ... | Timmy Clayton | |
| David Zayas | ... | Detective Dalberto | |
| Douglas McGrath | ... | Jeff Gaffney (as Doug McGrath) | |
| Gregory Dann | ... | Cop | |
| Cathy Diane Tomlin | ... | Cop #2 | |
| Sam Gilroy | ... | Copy Kid | |
| Maggie Siff | ... | Attorney #1 | |
| Sarah Nichols | ... | Barry's Assistant | |
| Susan McBrien | ... | Jean | |
| Jordan Lage | ... | Partner | |
| Neal Huff | ... | First Associate | |
| Paul Juhn | ... | Second Associate | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Patrick Askin | ... | Auction Bidder (uncredited) | |
| Kevin Cannon | ... | Auction Worker (uncredited) | |
| Clem Cheung | ... | Landlord (uncredited) | |
| Tony Devon | ... | Corporate Lawyer (uncredited) | |
| Tony Gilroy | ... | Taxi driver (uncredited) (voice) | |
| Emelie Jeffries | ... | Raymond Clayton's Nurse (uncredited) | |
| Owen Lund | ... | Ron (uncredited) | |
| Kimmy Suzuki | ... | Copy Shop Clerk (uncredited) | |
| Steven Weisz | ... | Executive (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Tony Gilroy | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Tony Gilroy | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| George Clooney | .... | executive producer | |
| Jennifer Fox | .... | producer | |
| Christopher Goode | .... | co-producer | |
| James A. Holt | .... | executive producer (as James Holt) | |
| Anthony Minghella | .... | executive producer | |
| Kerry Orent | .... | producer | |
| Sydney Pollack | .... | producer | |
| Steve Samuels | .... | producer (as Steven Samuels) | |
| Steven Soderbergh | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| James Newton Howard | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Robert Elswit | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| John Gilroy | |||
Casting by | |||
| Ellen Chenoweth | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Kevin Thompson | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Clay Brown | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Paul Cheponis | |||
| George DeTitta Jr. | |||
| Christine Mayer | |||
| Chuck Potter | (as Charles M. Potter) | ||
Costume Design by | |||
| Sarah Edwards | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Chris Bingham | .... | makeup department head | |
| Jerry Popolis | .... | key hair stylist | |
| Waldo Sanchez | .... | hair department head | |
| Mia Thoen | .... | key makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Roger DaPrato | .... | production supervisor: Samuels Media | |
| Alyson Evans | .... | assistant unit production manager | |
| Lauren Flaster | .... | production supervisor: Samuels Media | |
| Christopher Goode | .... | unit production manager | |
| Charlene Olson | .... | post-production supervisor | |
| Milan Popelka | .... | production supervisor: Samuels Media | |
| Igor Srubshchik | .... | production supervisor | |
Art Department | |||
| Michael Curry Jr. | .... | construction foreman | |
| Joseph DeStephano | .... | set dresser | |
| Chris DeTitta | .... | lead man | |
| Paul Gaily | .... | set dresser (as Paul S. Gailey) | |
| Peter Gelfman | .... | property master | |
| Michael Herlihy | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Timothy Joliat | .... | on-set dresser (as Timothy J. Joliat) | |
| James V. Kent | .... | assistant property master | |
| Robin McAllister | .... | property assistant (as Robin Voth) | |
| John Miserendino | .... | special artwork | |
| John Oates Jr. | .... | set dresser | |
| Timothy Powers | .... | set dresser (as Timothy Power) | |
| Steve Roberts | .... | artist: fantasy artwork | |
| Jeffrey Rothstein | .... | artist: photography | |
| John Schabel | .... | set decorator: additional photography | |
| Peter T. Shevlin | .... | set dresser | |
| Alyson Wellins | .... | art department coordinator (as Alyson Wellins Lewin) | |
| Robert Blair | .... | shop electrician (uncredited) | |
| Michael Cycan | .... | carpenter (uncredited) | |
| Emily Damico | .... | construction production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Joe Landolfi | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Theo Sena | .... | props (uncredited) | |
| Steven Shellooe | .... | camera scenic artist (uncredited) | |
| Bryan Tonkin | .... | construction key grip (uncredited) | |
| Greg Voth | .... | graphic artist: props (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Michael Barosky | .... | sound mixer | |
| Michael Barry | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| David Boulton | .... | adr mixer | |
| Ryan Collison | .... | foley engineer | |
| Kenton Jakub | .... | adr editor | |
| Bobby Johanson | .... | adr mixer | |
| Dan Korintus | .... | dialog editor | |
| Andrew Kris | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Brian Langman | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Michelle Mader | .... | cable person | |
| Jay Peck | .... | foley artist | |
| Daniel Rosenblum | .... | boom operator | |
| Paul P. Soucek | .... | supervising sound editor (as Paul Soucek) | |
| Bill Sweeney | .... | foley editor (as William Sweeney III) | |
| Robert Troeller | .... | sound technician | |
| Daniel Ward | .... | first assistant sound editor | |
| Jerry Yuen | .... | cable person | |
| Mike Poppleton | .... | sound effects editor (uncredited) | |
| Bruce Pross | .... | sound effects recordist (uncredited) | |
| Eric Thompson | .... | adr mixer (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Jeff Brink | .... | special effects coordinator | |
| Kevin Zack | .... | special effects | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Spencer Armajo | .... | digital compositor | |
| Randall Balsmeyer | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Saeed Faridzadeh | .... | digital compositor | |
| Max Harris | .... | Flame artist: Asylum | |
| Erin L. Nelson | .... | digital restoration | |
| Lee Roderick | .... | lead compositor | |
| Wilson Tang | .... | digital restoration | |
Stunts | |||
| Chris Barnes | .... | stunts | |
| Norman Douglass | .... | stunts | |
| Gene Harrison | .... | stunts | |
| Don Hewitt | .... | stunts | |
| Jery Hewitt | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Joanne Lamstein | .... | stunts | |
| John E. Mack | .... | stunts | |
Casting Department | |||
| David H. Kramer | .... | adr voice casting | |
| Amelia Rasche | .... | casting associate | |
| Jennifer Sabel | .... | extras casting (uncredited) | |
| Grant Wilfley | .... | extras casting (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Denise Andres | .... | costumer | |
| David Davenport | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Kate Edwards | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Wade Laboissonniere | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Fionnuala M. Lynch | .... | set costumer (as Fionnuala Lynch) | |
| Gina Castellano | .... | costume coordinator (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Jason Fabbro | .... | video colorist | |
| Ulysses Guidotti | .... | assistant editor | |
| Aaron Marshall | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Stephen Nakamura | .... | digital film colorist | |
| Ron Barr | .... | digital intermediate editor (uncredited) | |
| Jesse Thompkins III | .... | editorial production assistant (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Chris Bacon | .... | additional orchestrator (as Chris P. Bacon) | |
| Michael Brooks | .... | musical sound designer | |
| Brad Dechter | .... | orchestrator | |
| Sandy DeCrescent | .... | music contractor | |
| Clay Duncan | .... | musical sound designer | |
| Mick Gormaley | .... | assistant music editor | |
| Richard Grant | .... | auricle control systems | |
| Alex Kharlamov | .... | musical sound designer | |
| Alan Meyerson | .... | music scoring mixer | |
| Alan Meyerson | .... | score recordist | |
| Blake Neely | .... | conductor | |
| Julia Newmann | .... | additional orchestrator | |
| Nic Ratner | .... | music editor | |
| Brian Ross | .... | music supervisor | |
| Peter Rotter | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Steven L. Smith | .... | music preparation | |
| Stuart Michael Thomas | .... | additional orchestrator | |
| Stuart Michael Thomas | .... | composer: additional music | |
| Stuart Michael Thomas | .... | musical sound designer | |
| Mel Wesson | .... | musical sound designer | |
| Greg Vines | .... | assistant score engineer (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Dennis Salomone | .... | transportation captain | |
| Kevin R. Wood | .... | transportation co-captain | |
| Zoa Keith | .... | dispatcher (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Megan Asbee | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Dylan Ashbrook | .... | assistant: Jennifer Fox | |
| Abby Bailey | .... | first assistant accountant | |
| Hilary Benas | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Kit Bland | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Joshua Chaplinsky | .... | production secretary | |
| Eddy Collyns | .... | location manager | |
| John 'JR' Craigmile | .... | production accountant (as J.R. Craigmile) | |
| Jennifer Crammer | .... | production coordinator (as Jen Crammer) | |
| Mary Cybulski | .... | script supervisor | |
| Juan E. De La Rosa | .... | parking assistant | |
| Kimmie Dellechiaie | .... | set staff assistant (as Kim Dellechiaie) | |
| Nicole DiCesare | .... | assistant: Tony Gilroy (as Niki DiCesare) | |
| Ann Marie Doris | .... | assistant: Steven Samuels | |
| Adam Freelander | .... | production staff assistant | |
| Dave Ginsberg | .... | assistant location manager (as David Ginsberg) | |
| Jessalyn Haefele | .... | production staff assistant | |
| Julie Kuehndorf | .... | unit publicist | |
| Catherine Lynch Sullivan | .... | production controller | |
| Karen Marsh | .... | assistant: Steven Samuels | |
| Angel McConnell | .... | assistant: George Clooney | |
| Melissa Mugavero | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Karla Nappi | .... | assistant: Kerry Orent | |
| Paul Polow | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Chris Ryan | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Michael Scelza | .... | consultant: poker (as Mike Scelza) | |
| Loren Sklar | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Graham Smith | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Hilary Smith | .... | assistant location manager | |
| José Tejada | .... | parking coordinator (as Jose Tejada) | |
| Amy R. Trachtman | .... | assistant production coordinator (as Amy Trachtman) | |
| Justin Trimm | .... | set staff assistant | |
| Giovanni Zeqireya | .... | security: George Clooney | |
| Ramona Adair | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Kathleen Beall | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Jessica Cabrera | .... | set production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Adam Carroll | .... | location assistant (uncredited) | |
| Matt Flanders | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Lowell Freedman | .... | additional set production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Karen Gehres | .... | epk producer (uncredited) | |
| Joseph F. Graham | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Jeni Harden | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Ganesh Hennigs | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Aaron Hurvitz | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Sean Ilnseher | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Joe Knizeski | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| William Laviano | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Wayne Scott Miller | .... | stand-in (uncredited) | |
| Sean Oliver | .... | adr loop group (uncredited) | |
| Joe Ovbey | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Jillian Roache | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Susan Silas | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Jason Stant | .... | payroll accountant (uncredited) | |
| Rachael Tartell | .... | location coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Shane Williams | .... | location assistant (uncredited) | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Touch of Evil | The Invisible Monster | Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | King of New York | Strangers on a Train |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Michael Clayton is not your typical legal thriller. Oh, it has most of the standard trappings of one: double-crossing, shady back room deals, and a guilty client. But in the case of Michael Clayton, the film focuses most of its attention on the questionable moral quagmire of working for guilty clients, living your life protecting those who you can't help but find reprehensible, wanting to get out, but finding you are good at it and that is where your superiors want you. Michael Clayton isn't a revelatory film, but it is a smart one that deals in the grey world that we all live in, not the black and white one legal films are usually about.
The central character is Michael Clayton (George Clooney), a "fixer" at a major Manhattan law firm. His job entails him cleaning up other's messes, not litigating in a court room. He hates the work, but the senior partner at the firm, Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack), wants him to stay in the job because he has a talent for it. Things are not rosy for Michael right now: his addict brother has run a business venture that Michael was a partner in into the ground, leaving Michael with thousands of dollars in debt; his relationship with his ex-wife is on the rocks, and into this environment comes a whole new caliber of problem: Michael's friend, and fellow attorney, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), who is a lead attorney for a major case for the firm involving U/North, a huge, multifaceted corporation, has discovered evidence damning to U/North, and has also, seemingly, lost his senses.
Arthur begins plotting to publicly expose U/North with this evidence, thereby destroying them, something that U/North's lead corporate attorney, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), cannot allow. Michael is called in to help calm Arthur and bring the situation under control, but it becomes quickly obvious that Arthur cannot be reigned in, and Karen begins looking at far more dire methods of containment.
When you walk into Michael Clayton, you need to be prepared for a limited amount of action, and a fair amount of talk. It is a film about words and far less exciting events than found in many movies. Michael Clayton is also not the most straightforwardly plotted film. A great deal of information is suggested through inference and requires the full attention of the audience. But Michael Clayton is hardly boring. It delves into the decisions that individuals make when their livelihood depends on living in a moral quagmire. Michael is a man who is concerned about making sure that he can make the payments on a huge debt and dealing with the sometimes annoying and reprehensible people that the law firm provides its services to. Arthur is in a similar situation, but he can no longer live with himself and the protection of clients who are obviously guilty. It is debatable whether Arthur is mentally unhinged, or simply woken up to the reality of his actions and what they mean in the grander scheme of things.
Michael Clayton is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy, a longtime Hollywood screenwriter, who crafts a film that manages to keep you involved like a good thriller without providing many of the requisite elements: chases, shootouts and fisticuffs. Michael Clayton is a thriller that works at a slower pace, but still manages to enthrall with its developments. Critical to the film's success is its performances. George Clooney gives us a Michael who feels many aspects of his world closing around him and tries to keep all the balls in the air. Tom Wilkinson's turn as Arthur is that of a man who has experienced an epiphany, seeing the world like a newborn baby. Finally, Tilda Swinton's Karen Crowder is a woman who is all about appearance (one of her first scenes reveals her practicing a speech so that it will appear perfect) and ensuring that no one rocks the boat of U/North. She has sold her soul to the devil and will do anything to keep the company intact.
Michael Clayton is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. It requires a strong attention span and a willingness to not have everything spelled out for you. If you can provide that, then it is a film experience that will provide some rewards.