The Clearing [HD]

Not for newlyweds
THE CLEARING will resonate most, I think, with long-married couples. Newlyweds and those married for less than, say, ten years - perhaps longer - may leave the theater thinking, "What was that all about?" Gum-chewing, adolescent singles needn't bother even buying a ticket.

Successful executive Wayne Haynes (Robert Redford) lives the good life in an elegant mansion in a leafy suburb with his wife of decades, Eileen (Helen Mirren). One morning on the way to work, Wayne is kidnapped by Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe), a former employee, and made to march at gunpoint deep into the woods, ostensibly to be handed over to accomplices waiting in a cabin who've planned the escapade for reasons to be revealed. Eileen is left to expect developments and a ransom note with FBI agent Fuller (Matt Craven).

To be honest, I kept expecting a plot twist that would reach out, knock the popcorn from my hands, and scream "Gotcha!" And, admittedly, I was a little...

A Good, Simple Story. 61 out of 100
The Clearing is a story of a couple, Wayne (played by Robert Redford) and Eileen (Helen Mirrem), who are in the golden stages of there marriage when Wayne is kidnapped.

Wayne is a successful business man who has nice adult children, a gorgeous home, a nice car and a mistress. Wayne exits his home one day, only to be kidnapped by Arnold Mack (played by Willem Dafoe). It is here that the story begins.

The Clearing really isn't a kidnapping movie so much as it is a story about Wayne and Eileen. It moves along at a comfortable pace, but is by no means an intense thriller or action motion. This is not a bad thing.

The story is fresh, the acting well above average, and the interaction between the characters is pleasant to watch. Overall, the only flaw in the movie is that we really don't get a taste for Wayne and Eileen's relationship to the depth that is needed. They are rarely on screen together. Thus, there is a tension that is missing, because our hearts...

A Psychological Study, Not Action Thriller
This is an intense drama which examines the impact of a kidnapping on the three main participants in the drama; Wayne Hayes (Robert Redford), a driven executive who has become a multimillionaire by selling the business which he founded; his wife Eileen (Helen Mirren), who shares their luxurious estate but who was deeply wounded years ago by an affair which she now learns has not ended, and Arnold Mack (William DaFoe), a menacing yet vulnerable kidnapper who hopes to begin a new chapter in his disappointing life. It is directed with great attention to detail; while there are occasionally scenes of intense action, most are very brief except for the one involving the payment of the eventual ransom demand. The performances of the three co-stars in this film allow them to exhibit their talent for dramatic expression which has made them recognizable to all fans of serious drama; if strong performances and a well crafted film by themselves are sufficient criteria for you to attend a movie,...

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