History Film / MichaelClayton

It centers on [[ProtagonistTitle Michael Clayton]] (Clooney), a "fixer" -- a person who solves difficult situations by tampering with the legal system -- at the New York City law firm Kenner, Bach, & Ledeen. Clayton finds himself embroiled in a case involving his mentally-unstable colleague, Arthur Edens (Wilkinson), and the agricultural conglomerate his firm is representing in a class-action lawsuit.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Michael's bosses want Arthur to be committed, but Michael knows that, legally, having someone involuntarily committed in the state of New York is not easy.

* BigBad: Don Jeffries, the corrupt CEO of U-North, even though he appears more as minor character in the film. Karen, who's more TheDragon to Jeffries, is the antangonist with the most screen time. [[spoiler: She's the one who orders the murder of Arthur (and later Michael) without Jeffries' knowledge]].

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* PunchClockVillain: Basically the point of the film. Kenner, Bach, & Ledeen profits off of protecting Punch Clock Villains like the insidious U-North corporation, to the point that Arthur's guilt finally gets the better of him. [[spoiler:Karen Crowder is put in the position of protecting U-North and resorts to assassination. The assassins themselves are respectable business-types who take jobs while teeing off at the country club. Even the loan shark Timmy is in debt to is reasonable and understanding.]] Everyone is simply doing their job. In case we miss it, the opening scenes have Michael clocking in with his ID badge on the way to work.

* PunchClockVillain: Basically the point of the film. Kenner, Bach, & Ledeen profits off of protecting Punch Clock Villains like the insidious U-North corporation, to the point that Arthur's guilt finally gets the better of him. [[spoiler:Karen Crowder is put in the position of protecting U-North and resorts to assassination. The assassins themselves are respectable business-types who take jobs while teeing off at the country club.]] Everyone is simply doing their job. In case we miss it, the opening scenes have Michael clocking in with his ID badge on the way to work.

* ProfessionalKiller: The two hitmen that U-North secretly has on retainer. They successfully make Arthur's death look like an accident, and [[spoiler: attempt to kill Michael with a car bomb.]]

* ProfessionalKiller: The two hitmen that U-North secretly has on retainer.

%%* ProfessionalKiller

* OmnidisciplinaryLawyer: Averted. Michael's specialty at the firm is using his contacts and experience from his past as a prosecutor to mitigate occasional problems with the criminal-justice system the firm's corporate clients that the other lawyers would be incapable of handling.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Michael's bosses want Arthur to be committed, but Michael knows that legally, having someone involuntarily committed is not easy.

* {{Foil}}: Gene, Michael's older brother. The scene at his house says it all:
** He's a cop; Michael is a lawyer.
** He's a straight arrow; Michael is just shy of being a crook.
** He's a family man and caregiver; Michael is a divorced dad who sees his son on weekends, and takes care of his crooked clients instead of his family.
** He lives in a split-level in north Jersey; Michael haunts the bars and high-rises of Manhattan.
** Most importantly, Gene is grounded and content in his modest life, whereas Michael is beset with alienation, ennui, and frustrated ambition.
Timmy, Michael's younger brother, is another foil: a relapsed addict (alcohol, whereas Michael's vice is gambling) whose life has completely fallen apart. Gene is who Michael wishes he were; Timmy is who he's afraid he might become.

* BigBad: Don Jeffries, the corrupt CEO of U-North, even though he appears more as minor character in the film. Karen, who's more TheDragon to Jeffries, is the antangonist with the most screen time, [[spoiler: and is implied to be ordering Arthur's murder without her boss's knowledge]].

* BipolarDisorder: Arthur Edens suffers from manic depression, and his decision to stop taking his meds leads to the incident that kicks off the movie's main conflict.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: Karen ordered the hit on Michael, because he saw Arthur’s incriminating memo. But Michael had already been effectively bribed by his own firm to stay quiet, painting him in a corner. The attempted car bombing ends up giving Michael an escape, as well as the opportunity to bring down both the firm and U-North. Michael pretty much lampshades this for Karen in their final conversation.]]

* BigBad: Don Jeffries, the corrupt CEO of U-North, even though he appears more as minor character in the film. Karen, who's more like *TheDragon to Jeffries, is the antangonist with the most screen time, [[spoiler: and is implied to be ordering Arthur's murder without her boss's knowledge]].

* {{Foil}}: Gene, one of Michael's brothers. The scene at his house says it all:

A 2007 legal thriller starring Creator/GeorgeClooney, Tom Wilkinson, Creator/TildaSwinton, and Creator/SydneyPollack. It is the directorial debut of screenwriter Tony Gilroy, best known for the Film/TheBourneSeries.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: Karen ordered the hit on Michael, because he saw Arthur’s incriminating memorandum. But Michael had already been effectively bribed by his own firm to stay quiet, painting him in a corner. The attempted car bombing ends up giving Michael an escape, as well as the opportunity to bring down both the firm and U-North. Michael pretty much lampshades this for Karen in their final conversation.]]

* NiceJobFixingIt, Villain: [[spoiler: Karen ordered the hit on Michael, because he saw Arthur’s incriminating memorandum. But Michael had already been effectively bribed by his own firm to stay quiet, painting him in a corner. The attempted car bombing ends up giving Michael an escape, as well as the opportunity to bring down both the firm and U-North. Michael pretty much lampshades this for Karen in their final conversation.]]

* NiceJobFixingIt, Villain!: [[spoiler: Karen ordered the hit on Michael, because he saw Arthur’s incriminating memorandum. But Michael had already been effectively bribed by his own firm to stay quiet, painting him in a corner. The attempted car bombing ends up giving Michael an escape, as well as the opportunity to bring down both the firm and U-North. Michael pretty much lampshades this for Karen in their final conversation.]]

* NiceJobFixingIt,Villain!: [[spoiler: Karen ordered the hit on Michael, because he saw Arthur’s incriminating memorandum. But Michael had already been effectively bribed by his own firm to stay quiet, painting him in a corner. The attempted car bombing ends up giving Michael an escape, as well as the opportunity to bring down both the firm and U-North. Michael pretty much lampshades this for Karen in their final conversation.]]

* NiceJobFixingIt,Villain: [[spoiler: Karen ordered the hit on Michael, because he saw Arthur’s incriminating memorandum. But Michael had already been effectively bribed by his own firm to stay quiet, painting him in a corner. The attempted car bombing ends up giving Michael an escape, as well as the opportunity to bring down both the firm and U-North. Michael pretty much lampshades this for Karen in their final conversation.]]