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Beer for My Horses Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Clearing, The
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MPAA RATING: R for brief strong language
Starring Robert Redford, Willem Dafoe, Helen Mirren, Matt Craven, Alessandro Nivola, Melissa Sagemiller, Sarah Koskoff, and Peter Gannon
The story of a parallel emotional struggle between the victim of a kidnapping and the family that is left behind. (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
| GENRE(S): | Drama | Suspense/Thriller |
| WRITTEN BY: | Justin Haythe |
| DIRECTED BY: | Pieter Jan Brugge |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: November 9, 2004 Video: November 9, 2004 Theatrical: July 2, 2004 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 91 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
JW gave it a7:
(7.5) These films come along every so often - the ones teaming two or three of our best actors - and you feel compelled to watch them just to see if it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it really doesn't. What we get in The Clearing, however, is a movie that quite impressively showcases not only the actors, but the effect that acting itself has on the quality of a film in general. Why this one succeeds so obviously where others have failed may be due to the fact that there's not much to the plot itself, or maybe it's that the three featured players are just that good. It's probably both. Either way, it's something to see Redford, Mirren, and Dafoe paint on what is essentially a blank canvas. As in Midnight Cowboy, the performances outlast the story.
Graham M. gave it a7:
This is really a good film. This was done well, has an interesting story, and the actors preform well.
Gabor A. gave it a 6:
Works well on many levels, not exceptionally so on any of them resulting in a mediocre film.
Judy T. gave it a 4:
Helen Mirren was great too bad the rest of the cast wasn't as good. But then they didn't have much of a story to work with. She add least had a character. So much more could have been done with Willem Dafoe's part. The problem with these type of stories is that they make great books and lousy movies.
[Anonymous] gave it a 9:
An intelligent, wonderful, beautiful, extremely moving and well-acted film by Redford, Mirren and DeFoe.
Larry S. gave it a 9:
An excellent film. Mirren and Dafoe are outstanding in their roles. Finally a movie that relies on acting and a simple well developed story, instead of silly violent scenes and things blowing up! Very well directed. Go see it!!!
Chad S. gave it a 6:
You've got The Sundance Kid tied up in a car trunk, and Mrs. Tingle, excuse me, DCI Jane Tennison, eluding the FBI during a ransom drop, which makes "The Clearing" sound like a major studio production, and two legendary actors, slumming. There's even a "make sure he's dead before you turn around" scene between The Sundance Kid and Jesus Christ. "The Clearing" tantalizes us with the pairing of Robert Redford and Helen Mirren, and keeps them apart for all of twenty minutes. Redford, at least gets to work with Williem Dafoe. Mirren works hard to transform a stock character, the woman left behind, and make her interesting. The screenplay by Justin Haythe is smart in this aspect; because Eileen learns about her husband's ongoing affair, a pallete of emotions are available for Mirren. Wayne and Eileen have a shaky marriage, and had "The Clearing" not been an attempt to refute the genre requirements that a suspense/thriller be suspenseful or thrilling, a John Cassavettes knock-off might've broken out. Robert Redford gives a good performance, and it's too bad his character has to slide down a muddy hill.
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