DVD : Michael Clayton [2007]

Rating: - A thinking mans thriller (well you still need to capture attention)
This movie is too long and to uninteresting to entertain or even make you care.

It is rather sad really, Clooney is trying to go up against mainstream Hollywood by producing films that don't feed the viewer and make him think. But he still has to make the movie interesting.

Yes there are plenty of good and well done elements in there, but some we have seen before in a more believable story (Erin Brockovich), Tom Wilkinson does great acting as a madman who in madness maybe more sane than anyone. Tilda Swinton playes a painful role to perfection and Clooney is good as fixer for a law firm. But the outcome is a lot less than the sum of the parts. It is long and sideline stories are very unimportant and only serve to make the movie longer. You have little sympathy for almost any character, well there is Anna but you hardly get to know her. On the whole it becomes a disjointed story that just takes long to watch.

I was about to give it 2 stars for the better parts but decided against it, it is the one film in a long time I actually regreted watching. If you want a good film watch "Into the Wild" if you want a action go see "Dark Knight". Give this one a miss.

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Rating: - utter rubbish
Ok there are some slow moving films that build up to something and are intriguing and enjoyable overall but this is just awful tedious rubbish. I would rather watch paint dry than this. It has to be the biggest letdown of the year and one of the worst films I have ever seen.

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Rating: - It would appear from the number of reviews that people like it!
It is simply a great film. Fanatastic script, wonderful acting, thrilling story, brilliantly filmed and directed. That is all that needs to be said.

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Rating: - Cant believe people gave it 4 or 5 stars!
I'm at a loss to find a reason why this film would warrant 4 or 5 stars, unless this is laidies voting for Clooney's looks.

An average film that has some surprising moments and some fair scenes, but really I can say it's not outstanding or highly entertaining.

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Rating: - Well-Constructed Corporate malpractice drama with notable acting performances
Whilst the plot of this film may not necessarily break new ground, the way it develops on-screen makes it very watchable and thought provoking.

Contrary to others, I don't think it is about corruption since I think that has a foundation in bribery; this story is essentially about corporate malpractice in the form of a company knowingly doing wrong and trying to cover it up when sued by the victims (as in the film 'Erin Brockovich').

The overall story is not that complicated and progresses without any 'overt' explanation or 'spoon-feeding' summarisations by the characters. Things develop in short scenes from the viewpoint of each person/group involved, so the viewer can only slowly piece together what is happening until the dramatic climax (although I found it a bit predictable).

Most importantly, there are a lot of very dramatic 'flashback' scenes to help improve the 'mystery'....

What really makes this film stand out though are the acting performances which are, with one exception, excellent and really help to make us believe in what happens.

George Clooney has never been better (although his characterisation is a bit too like the person he plays in the film 'Syriana) and Tilda Swinton beautifully portrays a haunted business executive (she won the supporting actress Oscar and BAFTA). Tom Wilkinson has a significant part in this film but, unfortunately, his poor American accent (as in 'Batman Begins') failed to make his character convincing for me.

If you like your films to be mystery/drama-heavy you will love this film.

The DVD picture and sound are excellent.

*** Do note that the Amazon DVD specs are incomplete - There is an audio commentary by the Director/Film Editor and several deleted scenes (with optional commentary) !