UNLIMITED STREAMING
WITH PRIME VIDEO
TRY 30-DAY TRIAL
Home > Drama >

The Clearing

The Clearing (2004)

July. 16,2004
|
5.8
|
R
| Drama Thriller Mystery

When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a forest, Wayne’s wife is forced to reckon with the FBI agents as they negotiate with the kidnapper.

...

Watch Trailer

Cast

Similar titles

Reviews

ThiefHott
2004/07/16

Too much of everything

More
SunnyHello
2004/07/17

Nice effects though.

More
Mjeteconer
2004/07/18

Just perfect...

More
Moustroll
2004/07/19

Good movie but grossly overrated

More
gbkmmaurstad
2004/07/20

The plot is simple, wealthy executive is kidnapped by disgruntled employee. What isn't simple is Wayne (Robert Redford) and Eileen's (Helen Mirren) marriage and that of the kidnapper Arnold (William Dafoe). What unfolds during the kidnapping, request and delivery of the ransom is an unfolding of Wayne and Arnold's lives. Both men's families do not not know them other than as providers. Is it too late, will they have a second chance? If Redford or Mirren is one of your favorites, the film is worth the watch. Good flick on a Saturday afternoon, when you've got the house to yourself so you can focus on the dialogue.

More
vanoostende
2004/07/21

I was watching this movie and everything reminded me of the Gerrit Heijn kidnapping in the Netherlands in 1987. I even regognised the road and the bridge where the murder took place. It is near Wolfheze in the woods, just next to the A12 highway from Utrecht to Arnhem. I could find no credits anywhere and only one mention on Wikipedia. I can only suspect the family never gave permission for this movie. And I believe they are right. All the characters are flat and there is no depth in them. This movie could not hold my attention and I think it was a waste of time on three great actors. We have a Dutch saying: Shoemaker stay with your own tools, meaning you should always stick with what you do best. This is so true for Pieter Jan Brugge. A good producer does not make a good director

More
vincentlynch-moonoi
2004/07/22

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILER -- MAJOR SPOILER -- MAJOR SPOILER -- MAJOR SPOILER So why was this film relatively unsuccessful at the box office and in the eyes of critics? Well, I attribute that to far too many flashbacks, which sometimes become confusing. Flashbacks are a necessary tool in some movies, but even then they can be overdone...as they are here...but how would you tell this story without some flashbacks when the main character is murdered early on during the kidnapping? Perhaps a totally different story -- rather than modeling the plot on a real incident -- would have been preferable.My disappointment in the plot -- which seems a fairly common criticism of this film -- is softened some by the strength of the performances. While the official casting order is Robert Redford, Helen Mirren, and Willem Dafoe, I actually think that top billing should have gone to Willem Dafoe. Dafoe is a remarkable actor -- usually supporting -- and I can't think of a time I've been disappointed in his performance...and that is no less true here. Although Robert Redford was certainly showing his age (68) in this film, he was playing a character perhaps 10 years younger. And despite his advancing age, it doesn't seem as if Redford's acting ability has diminished one iota. However, more praise is deserved by Helen Mirren. Always good, here she plays a woman who is torn between love for her kidnapped husband and a feeling of betrayal as she learns that an old affair her husband had didn't end as she thought it had; she is also exhausted by the whole ordeal...a wonderful performance.Matt Craven is worthy of mention. He plays the lead FBI agent, and does very nicely here, although all too often he is reduced to minor roles in motion pictures.This is certainly not Redford's finest film, and I doubt many people would want to watch it more than once...but it is worth watching once to see finely crafted acting performances.

More
irishsounds
2004/07/23

What a terrible load of rubbish. A waste of good actors. A waste of a film crew. A waste of film!!! A waste of time for anyone watching it. It is just such a heap of garbage!!!!The movie grabs you in the first few minutes with what promises to be a thriller. From there on it goes steadily downhill with a very weak storyline, some lousy directing, and a mawkish puerile ending.All I can say to anyone with this movie on DVD is bin it or burn it quickly. Don't insult anyone by giving to them.I would sue the makers for mental torture and stress if I had the means.Avoid this movie at all costs.

More