Michael Clayton

Roles

• Michael
• Clayton
• Arthur
• Eden

About this piece

Michael Clayton confronts his crazy friend/collegue Arthur Edens

Summary

Arthur Edens is a brilliant attorney at a high priced law firm who is representing a shady chemical company in a multi-billion dollar lawsuit. He is also a manic depressive-schizophrenic and when he fails to take the medication he has a breakdown during a meeting where he strips naked. He then decides to build a case against the company he was representing and becomes a danger to the law firm and the chemical company. Arthur calls one of the plaintiffs in the case to help her in the lawsuit against the company and his law firm finds out since they are tapping his phone. He disappears and they send Michael Clayton, the company's "fixer", problem solver and Arthur's long time friend, to find him and get him to reason. In this scene, Michael Clayton, after looking for him for a few days, finally spots him on the street and confronts him. Michael Clayton urges him to seek help and listen to him. Arthur is surprised about how much Michael Clayton knows about what he is doing and figures out they are tapping his phone. He decides to keep building his case and tells him he can't do anything about it. They can't have him committed in a mental hospital because he knows the ins and outs of the laws in the state of New York regarding involuntary incarceration...

Tone

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