The Clearing

Robert Redford doesn’t needs this, but his performance as a businessman is definitely worth mentioning, at least as much as the role of a mysterious kidnapper played by Willem Dafoe. The kidnapping plot is very simple, with a straightforward narrative and minimalist music, but it hides a fairly solid and tangible depth in its simple message and restrained dialogues, and it’s definitely not an unnecessary product belonging to the past. The editing is extremely interesting, thanks to which the plot is relatively gripping and unpredictable despite its sparseness. A similar style was seen, for example, in 21 Grams, although it was much more striking there. Redford is still in. (05/02/2007)

This film’s creators didn’t aim to please the masses with action or traditional thriller suspense, but conceived it as a minimalist, intimate drama about the feelings of two unexpectedly separated lovers. The Clearing is a nice film about a love that lasts a lifetime and forgiveness, relying on three excellent acting performances and a wise director who knows what he’s doing here. (27/05/2008)

An attempted ransom drop in a hotel lobby (or wherever) where FBI agents were hiding so "inconspicuously" that they might as well have dressed up in tropical fruit costumes and it would have ended up the same.... That was sure something! Otherwise, there is little I can fault The Clearing for. As an intimate relationship drama with a melancholic mood, it works well thanks to the trio of reliable actors and Armstrong's music. (27/01/2013)

A first-class cast, a run-of-the-mill screenplay, and routineer directing. And the result? A wasted opportunity. What makes The Clearing at least a slightly above-average experience is Helen Mirren. It is almost unbelievable how much life she breathes into her two-dimensionally written character with her quiet performance. While both Dafoe and Redford are a little lifeless. And if you last out watching this rather uninspiring story, you find out in the end that the screenplay isn’t quite as run-of-the-mill as it seemed at the beginning. Even so, you will forget this movie even before the final credits play out. (03/01/2008)