Review of The Clearing (2004) by Paul R — 29 Jul 2017

So the movie is essentially an exploration of marriages, love, and fidelity. Wayne's, Arnold's, and to a lesser extent, Wayne's son, all had issues with their marriages. If you look at it from that perspective, instead of the advertised kidnapping thriller, the movie is a little better. The cast is fantastic. I would say Dafoe, Mirren, and Redford, in that order. Dafoe is the best I've ever seen him and Mirren can steal an entire scene with one little lip curl. Redford is of course Redford.

*** spoilers***.

There are no twists, no turns, no surprises. Dafoe gamely tries to portray a nice guy who has been abused by capitalism (for want of a better word) while Reford has benefitted from it. The ridiculous choking of Arnold by Wayne, and the ensuing magical finding of the gun, Redford hanging around nd staring into the trees made my peeps laugh out load. Maybe Redford agreed with the guy and wanted to make amends for something, who knows;'but it came off silly. So the ending is only dumb if you think you are watching a kidnapping thriller. The end came because Redford had come to grips with his betrayal or his wife. Worth a watch, but don't expect a thriller...