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Cast & Crew
Wayne Hayes
Eileen Hayes
Arnold Mack
Tim Hayes
Agent Fuller
Jill Hayes
Critic Reviews for The Clearing
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Good performances almost make it worthwhile.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
Quote not available.
April 1, 2006 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
A thriller stripped of thrills -- or, even worse, a thriller that thinks of itself as somehow rising above the vulgar pleasures of excitement.
August 1, 2004 -
The easy give-and-take between Redford and Mirren early in the film is flawlessly realistic, but even that couldn't stem the tide of this reviewer's yawns.
July 11, 2004 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
An intriguing but dramatically stunted psychological thriller about a kidnapping.
July 9, 2004 | Rating: B -
Everything about it is stultifying, unexceptional and dull.
July 9, 2004 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for The Clearing
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Jul 29, 2017Lacking 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.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Aug 06, 2011This 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.Chris W Super Reviewer
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Apr 12, 2010A 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!David S Super Reviewer
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Nov 10, 2009There 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.Sarah P Super Reviewer
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