
When a lawyer loses an appeal to stop a logging company from clear-cutting Native American land, Arthur, an Indian militant drags him and the kidnapped logging mill manager into the forest. The lawyer's empty talk about how the company's greed should be punished is put into brutal action by Arthur, who tortures the manager in allegorical ways mimicking what loggers do to the forest.... (Full plot summary below)
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When a lawyer loses an appeal to stop a logging company from clear-cutting Native American land, Arthur, an Indian militant drags him and the kidnapped logging mill manager into the forest. The lawyer's empty talk about how the company's greed should be punished is put into brutal action by Arthur, who tortures the manager in allegorical ways mimicking what loggers do to the forest.
Leave your thoughts about Clearcut.
| User ReviewMark JWhile this movie is only available on VHS it is one of my favorite movies. Graham Greene is fantastic and the use of violence and it's place in our society is probbed with disturbing results. A must see. |
| User ReviewTinagreat movie, so dishartening to think our government really does this to its own land. |
| User ReviewGabrielI love this because I feel the same about the protection of the earth! |
| User ReviewPrivate USends one hell of a message that shouldn't be ignored. |
| User ReviewVaju XI had viewed this movie after its release in 1991. Although I enjoyed it at the time, I had forgotten about it until I recently watched a more recent Graham Greene role. The movie contains violence, torture and brutality which would seem to make it a natural for American viewing audiences. However, it also deals with native North American traditions and the inevitable conflict that will result from a collision of North American property laws and Native American culture. Think, On Sacred Ground without Segal and Caine. However, unlike On Sacred Ground, the Protagonist (played by Ron Lea) is Peter Maguire, an activist attorney and not a martial arts / demolition expert and clearly not ready for the path his life is about to take. Maguire loses his battle against the owner of a local saw mill clearing the forest which has been home to the local native North American village. When he meets with the local elder of the village to strategize the next step, the elder invites Maguire to a sweat purification ritual. The ritual results in Maguire's realization of his personal frustration, anger, and outrage. He meets Arthur (portrayed by Graham Greene) a native North American and an outlet for this anger. Arthur is 500 years of native North American outrage personified. While Arthur becomes the embodiment of Maguire's outrage, Maguire becomes Arthur's captive on a kidnapping and torture rampage of the local saw mill operator. The movie incorporates a large dose of symbolism. As an example, Maguire's brief case is taken by a child of the native North American village who fills it with her collection of things from nature. But I could not help but think that this movie could have been an instant classic and propelled all involved to a different level if the film actually took the direction it only insinuates, the duality of the Ed Norton / Brad Pitt characters form Fight Club. Clearcut walks that edge, but never crosses it. If it had, this movie could have been much more than it was, plot fodder for a Steven Segal interpretation. I recommend the movie for several reasons. Graham Greene does justice to that favorite of American movie going audiences, the psychopath (think Chigurh from No Country). The scenery and filming are breathtaking. You feel like you are actually canoeing through the great north waterways. Finally, the movie does offer the viewer an insight into the collision between the cultures of the natives and the frontiersmen. |
| User ReviewHarri KPowerful, polemic, contrary, outrageous. Dull language. |
| User ReviewMaarrk HFine. I get it. It's like 'Fight Club' meets 'Dances With Wolves'. Too bad it feels like a 90-minute version of 'Deliverance's rape scenes. Greene chews the scenery, and the other characters are drawn with wide strokes lacking any nuance. Shame. |