The Clearing (2004)

The Clearing (2004)

The Clearing (2004)
List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $2.98
You Save: $7.00 (70%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD details

Actor: Alessandro Nivola, Helen Mirren, Matt Craven, Robert Redford, Willem Dafoe
Brand: REDFORD,ROBERT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-09
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox

DVD Reviews of The Clearing (2004)

DVD Review: HANDS DOWN, THE WORST MOVIE OF 2004
Summary: 1 Stars

Some critics gave raves for this. Especially, those juggleheads on ABC. I love Redford and Dafoe. So I watched it on cable. The movie bills itself as a suspense thriller. Yeah, this was about as thrilling as watching my grandma knitting a kidnapper's hood. I wish she would have knitted me a hood and thrown it over my head so I wouldn't have had to watch this mess. Meandering story, inane timeline, rotten dialogue, some bad acting, and the worst denouement I've ever seen in a thriller. THIS IS A FORGIVENESS STORY DISGUISED AS A THRILLER. Which is unfair to the audience it's catering to. The ending is so bad it should be shown in screenwriting classes as an example of how NOT to end a suspense film. It's extremely unsatisfying. It reminded me of the sceenwriting taboo "and then he woke up." I GIVE AWAY THE ENDING BELOW because the screenwriter deserves it. So SKIP THIS REVIEW if you want to see this. Okay, but you'll be sorry.

WARNING MAJOR SPOILER:
A buddy of mine showed up at my house when this started and together we had fun picking this film apart and rewriting it the way it should have been written. And believe me, it's the only fun we had watching this stinker. All you need to know is that Dafoe kidnaps Redford and Redford's wife, Helen Mirren calls the FBI. We never understand Dafoe's motive. Hardly anything in the script reveals who he is or his psychology. Redford, the millionaire victim, guesses some things about him. But, they are not used in any way as an arc in the story. All we know is that Dafoe is a disgruntled ex-employee. Dafoe supposedly has employers who have paid him to bring Redford to a cabin in the woods where they await his arrival and will contact his wife for the ransom. We couldn't wait until they got to this mysterious cabin in the woods. This doesn't happen as Dafoe is making it up. The film might have been very interesting if there were unknown business rivals or someone seeking revenge as kidnappers who have a grudge against Redford. If this had been FILM NOIR from the 40s or 50s, that's where the script would have taken us. I kept thinking maybe something bad will be revealed about Redford's past and he'll turn out to be a villain too. It would have been a great place to take the story. But, Dafoe is acting alone. Redford also uses psychology on Dafoe which goes nowhere. He tries to turn Dafoe against his employers. But, there are no employers. My friend and I figured it would be used to turn Dafoe against his "so-called" employers in a way that would reveal how fiendish Redford really is. We figured in a twist of circumstances, by the end of the film, Dafoe would be charmed into working for Redford, who turns out to be a villainous millionaire. That's where I would have taken the story.

The meandering subplot, which turns out to be the main plot, is about Redford's wife, who finds out Redford is having an affair when it's revealed to her by the FBI man staying at the house. Then we pondered, maybe she knew it all along and is having an affair too. Maybe with Dafoe or someone else. And she's going to kill him for his money. Another interesting way to take the story. But, no. After watching the first hour, I said to my friend, "Nothing much is going to happen, this movie is not that clever." Oh, how right I was. After reminiscing with the kids and meeting the other woman, Mirren is going to pay the kidnappers. I guess it's Dafoe. I thought it was some other guy, but the timeline, which is meant to be clever, is confusing. He calls her on a payphone because the FBI is watching. Wouldn't happen. You can't place incoming calls to payphones anymore. Dafoe gets the money because Mirren shakes the FBI tail. Sure she does.

Flashback to the woods. Redford wrestles with Dafoe for the gun. The gun goes flying and Redford has a chance to strangle Dafoe. Here's a guy who knows he'll be killed, but he just can't do it. Instead he hugs a tree in distress. My friend blurts out, "Treehugger!!" Dafoe retrieves the gun and reveals to Redford that there are no employers. He shoots Redford. Redford dies. Flash forward and Dafoe mails a note that Redford previously asked Dafoe to mail to his wife. Dafoe starts spending the marked bills. Some guy at a drugstore is checking the serial numbers while Dafoe is still in the store. Yeah, sure. Everytime I go into a store and pass a 100 bill the manager always checks it for serial numbers on FBI lists. I don't think so. They catch Dafoe and he confesses. Later Mirren receives the note. It says, "As long as you love me, I have everything I need." She smiles as Redford's ghost walks in the room and says the same thing to her that's in the note. He fades away. She forgives him. The end. I'm not kidding. We both groaned on cue. Ohhhhhhh..... THIS IS A ROTTEN SCRIPT!!

Come on, Redford. Were you high when you read this? Audiences are pretty sophisticated nowadays. Okay, maybe not. This could have gone any of the ways I suggested and been GREAT FILM NOIR. Instead, it's just a forgiveness story disguised as a thiller. What the...? I cry FOUL!! FOUL!!

AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE.
More The Clearing (2004) reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Description of The Clearing (2004)

Boasting the year?s most critically acclaimed and talented cast, including Robert Redford, Hellen Mirren, and William DaFoe, THE CLEARING is a taut, engrossing thriller about fate, love, and missed opportunities. ?Redford gives one of the best performances ever? as a self-made tycoon kidnapped and now in the most important negotiation ever ? for his life?
Most thrillers can be judged on their plots, but with The Clearing the plot is only a frame for three excellent performances. The story is driven by the kidnapping of a retired businessman (Robert Redford) by a former disgruntled employee (Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire). But while half of the movie follows these two men as they wend their way towards a cabin in the woods, the other half observes the businessman's wife (Helen Mirren, the Prime Suspect series) as she copes with both the kidnapping and the secrets it accidentally reveals. Redford and Dafoe play a skillful cat and mouse game as each tries to manipulate the other, but the movie's emotional core is Mirren, a superb actress who turns in yet another rich and layered performance. The emphasis on character heightens the suspense, making The Clearing taut and compelling. --Bret Fetzer
Bestsellers in DVD
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] ImageThe Story of Jeremiah [VHS]
Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS] ImageWresting With God [VHS]
by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $19.99
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS] ImageStudy Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]
Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $44.00
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS] ImageTempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]
HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops: $9.98
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/Party Video [VHS] ImageTempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]
HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Strike the Original Match [VHS] ImageStrike the Original Match [VHS]
New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $14.95
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] ImageMedjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]
JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008 ImageMayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008
by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops: $1,463.24
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single User ImagePediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single User
by Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops: $1,463.24
Cost Accounting [VHS] ImageCost Accounting [VHS]
by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The Hot Rock ImageThe Hot Rock
REDFORD,ROBERT; Release date: 2003-05-20; DVD
Best price: $7.23
Price in other shops: $14.98
Three Days of the Condor ImageThree Days of the Condor
REDFORD,ROBERT; Release date: 1999-08-17; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Indecent Proposal ImageIndecent Proposal
REDFORD,ROBERT; Release date: 2002-04-16; DVD
Best price: $4.82
Price in other shops: $8.99
Up Close & Personal ImageUp Close & Personal
Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 1999-09-14; DVD
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops: $9.99
An Unfinished Life ImageAn Unfinished Life
LGF; Release date: 2011-04-26; DVD
Best price: $5.68
Price in other shops: $14.98
Havana ImageHavana
Universal Studios; Release date: 2010-06-01; DVD
Best price: $5.07
Price in other shops: $14.98
Legal Eagles ImageLegal Eagles
Universal Studios; Release date: 2010-07-06; Published: 2010-07-01; DVD
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Last Castle ImageThe Last Castle
DreamWorks; Release date: 2002-03-05; Published: 2002-03-01; DVD
Best price: $2.63
Price in other shops: $8.99
Sneakers (Collector's Edition) ImageSneakers (Collector's Edition)
Universal Studios; Release date: 2004-12-28; Published: 2004-12-01; DVD
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops: $5.98
Lions For Lambs (Widescreen Edition) ImageLions For Lambs (Widescreen Edition)
Sony; Release date: 2008-04-08; Published: 2008-04-01; DVD
Best price: $2.34
Price in other shops: $14.98
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners