Though it has an excellent cast, this emotionally detached movie is the kind that one admires more than enjoys. Read critic reviews
The Clearing
2004, Mystery & thriller/Drama, 1h 35m
134 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
Wayne Hayes (Robert Redford) and his wife, Eileen (Helen Mirren), seem to have it all. Over the years, they've built a prosperous business together while raising their two children, Tim and Jill. But the family's dream life becomes nightmarish when disgruntled employee Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe) kidnaps Wayne and holds him for ransom. The FBI invades their home and scrutinizes every detail of their life -- and ultimately, it is left to Eileen to deliver the ransom and rescue her husband.
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Rating: R (Brief Strong Language)
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Genre: Mystery & thriller, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Pieter Jan Brugge
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Producer: Jonah Smith, Pieter Jan Brugge, Palmer West
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Writer: Justin Haythe
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Release Date (Theaters): original
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $5.8M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Fox
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Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, Dolby SR, Surround
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Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Cast & Crew
Critic Reviews for The Clearing
Audience Reviews for The Clearing
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Lacking car chases, explosions, gun shoot-outs, a sex scene, and most of the typical hallmarks of most of the typical thrillers, what remains is the slow dawning realization that one may not get the typical summation that one has been trained to look for. The actors seem happy to present that as well, a refreshing change from the typical, and perhaps a look at the reality of these situations. Excellent work.
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This little 2004 drama is a slow-burn thriller about a successful businessman (Redford) who is one day kidnapped and held for ransom by a former employee (Dafoe). Once word gets out about the abduction, it is up to the businessman's wife (Mirren) to deliver the ransom. The ideas going on, and the way they are executed is kinda alrighr, and this had the potential to be really good. However, the film ultimately faisl to deliver a product that is as compelling as it could be. The film is edited in a way to make it seem that all the events are happening simultaneously, when in reality this isn't quite the case. I kinda liked this idea, but with the way it plays out, I think the film would have ultimately been far better and stronger had they just told it in a more straightforward fashion, with greater emphasis on motives, characters, and that kind of thing. All of that is there, but it seems a little weak. Maybe I should just try to overlook that though since this was Pieter Jan Brugge's first film as a director. There are things I liked about it. The casting is good, and they give pretty decent performances. The film has a good atmosphere and tone, and there are some parts that are really suspenseful and done quite well. I was never bored watching the film, yet it left me a little unfulfilled and wondering why the people behind the film made the decisions they did. Despite it's problems and the fact that it ultimately isn't a successful movie, you can tell they tried to make it good. The psychological elements are nice, too. I don't really ultimately recommend it, yet I still kinda liked it, or at least some it, or the concepts. I wantd this to be good, and even though it's not, it does come fairly close.
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A bunch of great actors in a totally redundant film. I honestly couldn't see what attracted any of these people to this. The best bits are between Redford and Dafoe but it doesn't go anywhere and the whole thing seems half-baked. When I originally saw this advertised I wondered why it had never had a cinema release and why I hadn't heard anything about it. Now I know! What a waste of time!
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There was really no point to this movie. There was no climax, no suspence, so a-ha moment. I was completely and totally disappointed with this.
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