
After decades of happy marriage and a life surrounded by luxury and wealth, Wayne Hayes (Robert Redford), a successful car-rental businessman and his loving wife Eileen (Dame Helen Mirren), are looking forward to a tranquil and comfortable retirement. However, the dreams of a peaceful life come tumbling down like a house of cards when at gunpoint Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe), a disgruntled former employee, abducts Wayne in broad daylight right in front of his mansion in Pittsbu... (Full plot summary below)
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After decades of happy marriage and a life surrounded by luxury and wealth, Wayne Hayes (Robert Redford), a successful car-rental businessman and his loving wife Eileen (Dame Helen Mirren), are looking forward to a tranquil and comfortable retirement. However, the dreams of a peaceful life come tumbling down like a house of cards when at gunpoint Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe), a disgruntled former employee, abducts Wayne in broad daylight right in front of his mansion in Pittsburgh. Suddenly, the fate of the accomplished entrepreneur and seasoned negotiator rests entirely in the hands of his nervous yet ruthless kidnapper, who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is Wayne's most important negotiation in his life, but has he the strength to succeed?
Leave your thoughts about The Clearing.
| Seattle TimesMoira MacDonaldIt's still worth a look, for the pleasures of Mirren's peerlessly dry performance. |
| San Francisco ChronicleRuthe SteinThe very best thrillers -- a select group to which The Clearing clearly belongs -- exploit subconscious fears that bubble up at vulnerable moments. |
| Internet ReviewsSteve RhodesYou'll be with it every second and intrigued to its last, carefully constructed frame. |
| Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasA beautiful and consistently engaging film, but that the filmmakers dared cast all three lead roles with actors who are over 40 makes it especially rewarding. |
| Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe Clearing is what's known in the biz as an alternative for adult moviegoers. Which is to say the film is a performance-driven drama devoid of special effects and loud noises. On the contrary, it's a meditation on midlife weaknesses and compensation. |
| Cinema CrazedFelix Vasquez Jr.I just expected a lot more in the end, and really just didn't get it with a routine script, bland plot, and an ending that was too sudden to be accepted. |
| One Guy's OpinionFrank SwietekStately, reserved and colorless, it can be described as serious and respectable, but also turgid and rather dull. Its inveterate good manners are ultimately its undoing. |
| Detroit Free PressTerry LawsonA kidnapping drama that may be too intentionally low-key to qualify as a thriller but that accrues weight and tension as it makes its way through a forest of repressed emotion. |
| Baltimore SunChris KaltenbachThe Clearing reminds us what a riveting presence he (Redford) can be. |
| L.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonUnsatisfying as crime drama but haunting as a meditation on marriage. |