Monday, January 23, 2012
Econ 573 Blog #1 Michael Clayton "Trade-offs"
Reflect on the characters in the film "Michael Clayton". As completely as you can, list the trade-offs each of the primary characters faces during the course of the film. For example, Arthur can: 1) keep quiet about UNorth's deception and retire a wealthy man or 2) pursue UNorth by leaking documents and making the case against them. In your opinion, what is the most significant trade-off in the film? Why?
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Michael- His previous bar investment took a crash witch put him in debt. He could have had an opportunity to take 10 million, instead he decided to take Karen down.
ReplyDeleteKaren- I think she had the greatest trade off. Not only did she give up her career and life for the case but now she has blood on her hands for the murder of Arthur. That will live with her forever behind bars.
Arthur- He was the best in his profession. He could have just let the case pass through and walk away with lots of money. Instead he leaked information about Unorth in order to cure his guilty mind. Doing this act led to the loss of his career and eventually his death.
Of course Arthur's situation was a great example of a trade off. Others include Clayton's decision whether or not to go along with the firm and accept the contract and 80k or pursue Arthur's findings and Karen's decision whether or not to protect U North or to "fix it". One of the most important trade offs was the last decision of Clayton, where he chose to do the right thing. Originally watching the last scene, when he was blackmailing Karen, I was mad! I wanted him to be the good guy, but he ended up being the good guy :). He actually could have gotten the money and been good, but he used that to take U North down.
ReplyDelete--Michael Clayton’s opportunity cost associated with choosing to be a legal “janitor” that cleans up after people’s messes to help pay off his debts is spending more time with his son, having a cleaner conscience, but facing a mound of debt.
ReplyDelete--Arthur gives up a lucrative career as an attorney (but has blood on his hands) to do what is morally right.
--U-North tries to hide incriminating documents for economic gain, rather than stopping use of the deadly pesticide and saving lives while losing a lot of money in a lawsuit or possibly having to shut down altogether.
--Karen orders the deaths of Arthur and Michael for financial gain, risking the possibility of facing severe penalties like prison time. The cost to her is the extreme psychological stress and guilt she feels (as shown by the scenes where she is practically sick, sweating profusely in the bathroom) - she could have instead refused to work for U-North and have a clean conscience.
I think the trade-offs that Arthur faced were the most significant. By choosing to risk his livelihood and expose U-North, he potentially saved the lives of hundreds of people. His choices did not simply affect only him, but impacted the lives of many other people as well, including Michael and Karen, and influenced the trade-offs that they considered as a result of his actions.
Trade-offs in "Michael Clayton":
ReplyDeleteMichael can (1) keep quiet about U-North's crime (particularly the cover-up by Karen) and get $10 million and live a pretty good life but he ended up (2) bringing Karen and U-North to justice. In my opinion this is the most significant trade-off in the film because hopefully we learn that the lives of thousands of innocent people are more important than money (even though $10 million is so big). This trade-off makes the audience admire Michael Clayton character because it is not an easy thing to do-giving up that big amount of money to save the lives of others that he doesn't even know. Good moral lesson.
Karen can (1) do the right and moral thing and stop the environmental damages done by U-North when she found out about it. But instead she chose to (2) engage in the obstruction of justice by bribing, conspiring murders (as well as attempted murders) and property vandalism using assassins.
Arthur can (1) keep all of murderous and criminal affairs of U-North quiet and enjoys his retirement in wealth but instead he (2) chose to do the right thing and brought the whole corrupted system down.
Hit-and-Run guy can (1) do the right thing and confess to the police (that might help reduce his sentence to manslaughter-vehicular homicide) but instead he (2) ran away and hired Michael (the miracle worker) to help him covering up the accident.
The surveillance team (hired assassins) can (1) choose another profession that does not involve in illegal activities such as murder and vandalism but instead they (2) picked this "profession", engaged in such acts and earned economic profit from their clients (Karen).
Michael could have (1) chosen a different project to work on instead of this U-North incident but he (2) decided to involve in this affair; first to earn economic profit and second, to save people's lives.
There are many other trade-offs in the movie. However these are the highlighted ones.
Binh Pham.
Trade-Offs:
ReplyDelete•Michael Clayton can: (1) Let his bar business go under or (2) Borrow from loan sharks and suffer catastrophic consequences if he doesn't pay them according to their payment plan.
•Michael Clayton can: (1) Accept the $80,000 from Marty and comply with the 3 year contract that binds him to secrecy about past and future events or (2) Expose U-North and get revenge on them for killing Arthur.
•Karen can: (1) Try to save face and conspire against anyone who tries to expose U-North or (2) Pay a huge settlement to plaintiffs.
•U-North can: (1) Go back and fix their flawed product costing them millions or billions or (2) Continue its use/production and refute any claims that there is a problem with it and make bank.
•Arthur can: (1) Continue to defend U-North and continue his wealthy life even though he thinks they are immoral or (2) Help the plaintiffs in the U-North case.
The most significant trade-off is Arthur's. He started all of this and without him trying to expose U-North, none of this would be possible. He could have kept quiet and live lavishly, but he chose to take the moral high ground and try to punish U-North for their shady deeds.
Solid comments so far on the (many) trade-offs in this story. Interesting difference of opinion on the most significant trade-off. Keep them rolling...
ReplyDelete*NOTE* these are comments from Mychal Soto reprinted
ReplyDeleteA trade off I noticed in the movie, was how Michael used his time/resources as an attorney, but the way he conducted his job meant he had to deal with many criminals who used him and other as a means to an end. To be specific, Michael had to be on the clock 24/7 and answer to any favors that his bosses, clients, etc had for him. He was well known with in the profesison and had rational ideas, but approcaching his career as an attorney in this manner, meant he would not have any "easy" or clear cut cases sitting behind a desk. In addition, it was referenced in the movie that he was a former D.A. or proscecotr..switching froma prosecutor to a attorney or "janitor" presents obvious trade offs.
Michael took the evidence that Athur had collected and turned it over to the authorties, insetad of black mailiong or extorting Karen and U-north for ten million dollars. He coul dhave personally cashed in but took the morally correct alternative to turn in these criminals.
Karen approcahed her job constantly using defesnsive tactics to further better her reputation and standing within the comapny She knew of the files and Arthurs brfieface and looked to kill Michael also to cover up U_Norths flaws. The trade off was obeying the law, but possibly losing credibility within the company...or coering everything up to entice inversotrs/consumers
Arthur probably had one of the biggest trade offs in the movie.... He had a long and successful career as an attoreny, but chose to build a case against his own client (u-North) instead of representing them without any questions. If he would have completed this case he would hav ebeen well paid, and kept his job but he also chose to do the morally correct thing by attempting to bring U-north down.
Some of the trade off's I observed within the movie "Michael Clayton" involved characters which depicted demagogue like beahvior in which sometimes resulted with serious criminal implications.
ReplyDeleteMichael Clayton - A trade off ocurrs when Michael decides to have Arthur released instead of keeping him in prison after his realization. Had Michael kept Arthur in jail, the acts that followed may have never occured. Michael's biggest trade off though is in the ending, when he has a shred of redeeming behavior when he decides to "sting" U-North instead of blackmail them himself. The character Karen was more than willing to pay Michael's 10 million dollar silience, yet he decided that redemption was worth more.
Arthur - A trade off Arthur took was he wanted to help the girl win her case against U-North instead of just continuing to complete his job. Another trade off is when he decides to not take his medication or listen to Michael and continue to branch out upon his “epiphany” and try to destroy U-North, which ultimately cost him his life.
The Hit & Run driver - His trade off is pretty obvious, he decided to flee from the scene of his hot & run instead of checking to see if the person he hit was ok or call 911. Had he done the "right" thing, he probably would have faced less criminal charges.
Karen Crowder - Ms. Crowder has a trade off when she decides upon permenatly trying to silence Arthur and Michael Clayton instead of finding a more judicial way of solving her problems. A trade off of that is that if her crimes come to light, she will face serious criminal punishment. Another trade off she faces is at the end, when Michael blackmailed her. She could have pretended to call his bluff or continue in her deviant behavior and had the job with Michael finished like she started. Instead she cracked and ended up losing.
Michael’s brother - A character I feel is often overlooked for his trade off, and in this story has one of the biggest trade offs. Michaels brother trade off occurs when he decides to help Michael break into Arthur’s murder scene apartment. In doing so, Michael's brother risks almost his entire career, for a situation that does not even invovle him. When Michael is subsequently caught, his brother appears to be a crooked cop.
In the film “Michael Clayton,” as many of us will come to conclude, the biggest trade off in the film was where he gives up $10 million dollars. In my opinion, $10 million is not so easy to come across as an offer, and further more, not easy to reject either! $10 million! I do believe though, that Michael’s outcome was due to the fact that they killed Arthur, and most importantly, U-North also tried to kill him too.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie Michael Clayton, Karen Crowder the U-North's general counsel. Karen trade off was with Michael Clayton by giving him 10 million dollars for him not to say nothing about the manufacture a weed killer which was carcinogenic. Also, she had a trade-off with to two guys that did all of dirty work. She paid the two gentlemen money for their service.
ReplyDeleteThe most significant trade off in Michael Clayton would have to be to purse UNorth by leaking documents and making the case against them. First off, Arthur is one of their lawyers and they are payng him for his service. Arthur knows that UNorth has dangerous weed killer and he makes a case aganist the UNorth. He knows by help the people that have suffer from dangerous weed killer can save millions of Americans lifes by falling a lawsuit aganist them and he will become a rich man by do so.
In this film, the most significant trade-off i noticed was from Arthur. He had the option of continuing to represent U-North, but instead turned against it. Filled with guilt and through his erroneous acts, he tried to bring the firm to justice and show it's true colors. His courage cost him his life.
ReplyDeleteMichael Clayton- revealed documents from U-North to authorities instead of becoming their accomplice or accepting bribes.
in the film, here is the trade-off. Micheal clayton gives up the $10 million dollar in order to know karen's Crime act. for karen, she was trying to give $10 million dollar to micheal. so she was trying to avoid the crime with deal. i believed that both of them are looking for their own benefit by trade off. that is the most significant trade in the movie
ReplyDeletein the film, here is the trade-off. Micheal clayton gives up the $10 million dollar in order to know karen's Crime act. for karen, she was trying to give $10 million dollar to micheal. so she was trying to avoid the crime with deal. i believed that both of them are looking for their own benefit by trade off. that is the most significant trade in the movie
ReplyDeleteMichael- He had a couple of trade-offs in the movie. Because he left the gambaling game early and stoped his car to look at horses, he was able to stay alive. He also chose to fake his death to get a jump on Karen to take her down out of venegence for killing Arther and attemting to kill himself.
ReplyDeleteArthur- He chose to leave that state where he exsposed himself to everyone to be able to still be free from charges because he had no criminal record in NY.
Karen- She chose lie, deceving, murder, falceifying informations just to beable to get a company up and running so she can make a lot of money.
Crimes:
ReplyDeleteHit-and-run
Gambling
Bribery
Phone Tapping
Murder
Indecent Exposure
Breaking and entering
Trade-offs:
-Arthur gives up his medication in order to have more mental “clarity”.
-Michael decides to side with the law and turn Karen in instead of taking the bribe money for his own profit.