Page 0The passionate, insightful yet somewhat insane monologue of Arthur. It sets the tone for the entire movie, also the theme. It’s such a well written monologue because although we are not entirely sure what he is talking about, but on a gut level, we know exactly what he means. Also from the monologue, we know that whoever Michael is, he is a very dear and reliable guy.
Page3A busy law firm in the middle of the night. Introducing the smooth and powerful boss Marty Bach and the distraught Karen Crowler. We don’t know why she is like this, and it intrigues the audience.
Page 5Introducing Michael Clayton at an illegal card game, during which they talk about the new restaurant he opened. Because everybody has to put belongings in a basket, the shot of Michael’s basket tells us so much about who he is.
Page 7Michael returns his call and is summoned to fix a situation where a guy hit and run. Michael’s GPS fails.
Page 9Michael talks with the guy, who is under a lot of pressure in the aftermath of the hit and run. And he also insults Michael for how good a fixer he is.
Page 12Michael drives out of the guy’s house, sickened by the experience. He goes to find peace and simplicity when he sees a bunch of horses under a tree.
Page 15Michael’s Mercedes is bombed and his peace is interrupted.
Page 16“Realm and Conquest” on the kid’s the computer screen and being picked up by his dad Michael. The kid pitches the book to his dad about his favorite book. (This is actually the beginning of the story, Actual Page 0OF 100)
Page 19An auction in Michael’s restaurant. He is helping his drunk brother with his debt. Grim financial situation.
Page 21Michael goes to the office dealing with allsorts of issues. His secretary worries about the merger of the firm.
Page 24Karen Crowler prepares her interview at her home, intercutting with the actual interview with her boss. We can see that she is very uncomfortable with her job and everything in her life is just fake.
Page 26Interview interrupted by the news that Arthur has gone crazy. Michael and Karen all go to resolve this emergency. Arthur continues his passionate and insane monologue at the beginning of the movie. (Actual Page 11OF 100, crazy Arthur is the OPPORTUNITY for everybody comes to fix the NEW MESSY SITUATION)
Page 30Video of the deposition where Arthur stripped naked, being watched by the appalling Karen.
Page 32Karen asks about Michael’s background, while Michael pulls strings to get Arthur out of jail. Michael continues to do the crisis management with his own people in the hotel.
Page 35Michael’s son shares his favorite book with Arthur, who finds affirmation on his current thinking. Sometimes the fantasy is more real than the real world. Arthur is comforted by the kid.
Page 37Michael talks with Karen about the incident. They discuss how unacceptable and unbelievable the situation is.
Page 39Michael pulls favors to let a medic to help with Arthur. Arthur talks crazily again, but that crazy talk is right, and we know it.
Page 41Karen makes a routine but secret phone call. What makes the scenekickis that Karen uses a plastic bag to handle Arthur’s stuff, which is really creepy. (Just one extraordinaryelement introduced to a totally mundanescene makes the best scene in the world. Actual Page 26 OF 100 CHANGE OF PLAN because people start to use unconventional means to resolve the matter.)
Page 43Michael tries to resolve the trouble with the restaurant again on the phone, in vain. Michael finds that Arthur disappeared.
Page 44After Karen talks with Marty Bach about the incident, Marty sweeps Arthur’s office and talks with Michael aboutcrisis control and how hard it is to commit Arthur to a mental facility.
Page 47Arthur is followed by the bad guys and at the same time, another bad guy searches Arthur’s loft. Michael calls Arthur and tries to find him and reason with him. Michael meets Arthur half way to recognize he is right about Unorth,
Page 50Arthur calls Anna in Milwaukee, talks about their unique connections. We also realize that Arthur’s call is tapped.
Page 52Michael discusses his dire financial situation again.
Page 53Out of options, Michael begs money from Marty Bach, who also wants him to fix the Arthur’s situation in return.
Page 57Michael goes to Arthur’s loft to find him unsuccessfully, which is also under surveillance. He continues to look for him everywhere with his disappointing son.
Page 58Finds Arthur finally, and Michael does everything to dissuade him from building a case against Unorth, during with Arthur realizes that his phone is being tabbed.
Page 61Arthur reads the smoking-gun document out loud so that everybody knows that he got the important document.
Page 65Karen gives the order of killing Arthur, awkwardly. (Actual Page 50OF 100, POINT OF NO RETURN)
Page 67Michael celebrates dad’s birthday with family and his policeman brother. They talk about their troubles in the basement.
Page 70Arthur is being killed by the bad guys, clinically.
Page 72Michael leaves dad’s home, met drunk Uncle Timmy, which is very unpleasant. Michael stops the car to explain the situation and tells him not to worry about his future because he’s got a strong heart.
Page 75Michael receives the message of Arthur’s death. So he goes to the police station to talk about the situation.
Page 77Michael goes to see Marty Bach to talk about how incredible his suicide is. And upon hearing settling with Unorth, Michael gets suspicious. (MICHAEL’S EMOTIONAL POINT OF NO RETURN)
Page 80Michael calls Anna and realizes that she is in New York right now. When he goes to see Anna, Michael is seen by the bad guys. Anna explains to him how she got to New York.
Page 84Michael borrows a crime scene seal from his brother and breaks into Arthur’s loft, which alarms the bad surveillance guys.
Page 87Michael finds the receipt in the same book that his son has in Arthur’s loft before he was arrested.
Page 89Michael is released by his brother, who is pissed off by his mess. But Michael is further suspicious about who calls the police.
Page 90Michael goes to pick up the prints with Arthur’s receipt. The surveillance guy is really freaked out that he gets hold of the key document, and he tells Karen about it.
Page 92Marty gives Michael the loan to shut him up. Michael gets the money, but he is very unhappy. (Actual Page 75, EVERYTHING IS LOST because we know that not only Michael is going to die but there is nothing he can do about the death of his friend.)
Page 96Michael is on the poker table again. In the mean time, the bad guy goes into his car to install a bomb. Now we understand why Karen was so distraught in the beginning of the movie: she has just ordered another murder.
Page 99Michael is going toward his car, almost bumped into the bad guy. The bad guys follow him so that they can remote control the bomb.
Page 103Michael is having a quiet time with the horses again until it is interrupted by the bomb. He throws his belongings in the car and runs away.
Page 105Picked up by his drunk brother. Everybody knows that Michael is killed.
Page 106Karen delivers the speech and believes that she is fine until she sees Michael.
Page 108Michael blackmails Karen, and the audience thinks that everything is lost.
Page 112We realize that Michael has been working with his brother to get Karen’s confession.
Page115Michael rides in a taxi, thinking about everything that has happened.
