Legal thrillers have been a staple of Hollywood films for decades. Long before the rating system and when film was black and white, they dominated theaters. In 2007, the film MICHAEL CLAYTON became a big hit. It was more a character study than just a legal thriller, and it included such topics as business corruption, mental illness, and family drama too.

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a lawyer for a big New York City law firm. Rather than being a partner, he’s called a cleaner or a janitor, someone that cleans up the messes of the firm’s top clients. When lawyer, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown and may expose the corruption of client U-North, U-North’s internal council, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), has to make a rash decision. In the meantime, Michael has to find Arthur, saving their case, and try to clean up the mess.

The film received seven Academy Award nominations including a win for Tilda Swinton for Best Supporting Actress. The movie was directed and written by Tony Gilroy and included in the cast Ken Howard, Sydney Pollack, and Denis O’Hare. Receiving amazing reviews, and considered a masterpiece, the movie went on to make $93M USD. Your cohosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.