{
  "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/michael-clayton#article",
  "recordType": "Article",
  "canonical": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/michael-clayton",
  "alternate": {
    "html": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/michael-clayton",
    "json": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/articles/michael-clayton.json"
  },
  "recordPublisher": {
    "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#archive-organization",
    "name": "Free Press Houston Archive"
  },
  "about": {
    "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#organization",
    "name": "Free Press Houston"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#organization",
    "name": "Free Press Houston"
  },
  "slug": "michael-clayton",
  "title": "Michael Clayton",
  "deck": null,
  "author": null,
  "editorName": null,
  "publication": {
    "@id": "https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/#organization",
    "name": "Free Press Houston"
  },
  "issue": null,
  "publicationDate": "2007-10-10",
  "publicationYear": 2007,
  "sourceDateRaw": "Wednesday, October 10, 2026",
  "dateBasis": "Wednesday, October 10, 2026 falls on a Wednesday in 2007, and on no other candidate year.",
  "bodyYearAnomaly": false,
  "printedPages": null,
  "section": null,
  "subjects": [],
  "entities": [],
  "collections": [],
  "origin": "web",
  "originalUrl": "http://freepresshouston.com/archive/2007/10/michael-clayton/",
  "alternateUrls": [],
  "era": "blogger",
  "body": [
    "The George Clooney starrer Michael Clayton is the kind of film that makes you want to clap or cheer at the end when the protag achieves a dubious sort of moral victory. Tony Gilroy directs in a confident manner, surely more able than other first time helmers. Gilroy has previously written many hit movies including the recent Bourne Ultimatum.",
    "Clayton, not really a cop although his brother is a detective, and not actually a lawyer, works as a cleaner for a top law firm. When there's a problem Clayton's the one you call. Or as Clooney explains it in an impassioned speech: \"I'm not the guy you kill, I'm the guy you buy off for$65,000.\"",
    "The plot revolves around a class action lawsuit against a chemical company (think Erin Brockovich) and the lawyer (Tom Wilkinson in top form) handcuffing the various plantiffs has a pang of consciousness that leads to a breakdown. That's the cue to send in Clayton, although at this point he himself begins to feel some of his own pangs of consciousness.",
    "The film has a sleek look and tight pacing. Add some high tension from supporting actors like Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack to bring the film to a full boil. There's a lot of dialogue and a few story turns that might lose an audience more attuned to CGI explosions. Michael Clayton has surveillance intrigue and only one explosion, but it's a smart film."
  ],
  "images": [],
  "lostImageUrls": [],
  "objects": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "michael-clayton-web",
      "sourceType": "web-live",
      "label": "freepresshouston.com — surviving page",
      "originalUrl": "http://freepresshouston.com/archive/2007/10/michael-clayton/",
      "assetUrl": null,
      "retrievalDate": "2026-08-28",
      "confidence": "probable",
      "note": "Recovered from the damaged live site; injected spam and template furniture removed, text and image order preserved.",
      "sourceByline": null,
      "sourceDate": "Wednesday, October 10, 2026",
      "sourceCategory": null,
      "sourceTags": [],
      "webStatus": "live"
    }
  ],
  "fingerprint": "michael-clayton",
  "reviewStatus": "unreviewed",
  "confidence": "probable",
  "provenance": "recovered"
}