Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The first must-see film of the year.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I never include much of a plot synopses in my reviews, only that which is necessary to underscore whatever calls for a bit of backstory, as that information can be found elsewhere. Instead, I concentrate on the all around artistic merit of a film and the quality of its production. To begin, this type of movie is not without precedent, to be sure. In fact I can think of ten similar films right off the top of my head; not all of them kidnapping capers but nonetheless similar ambiance. That doesn't, however, make them all unenjoyable just because of their similarities and this one is pleasantly suspenseful enough to watch! Though it isn't Redford's best work (nothing since Jeremiah Johnson has been in my opinion), it holds interest and has enough of its own personality to stand on its own two feet. Besides, he's always interesting to watch, with a good portion of his acting done using just his facial expressions, particularly his eyes and world famous if slightly overused double-takes (if you've never noticed this, go back to his earliest works up to his latest and the one thing you can count on is a half dozen double- takes per movie. Heck I'm sure there is a college frat somewhere that even made a drinking game out of it!) Willem Dafoe has always distracted me with his rugged looks (those teeth!), ruddy completion (that skin!) and nasally voice (that....nasally voice!) but admittedly - in the right role those things work for him and they do in this case. Mirren, though 25 years my senior, is nevertheless as gorgeous and graceful as ever and her spot-on Midwest accent is a nice if unnecessary touch. The cast is rounded out with familiar but reliable standbys like Matt Craven (Crimson Tide, Disturbia, A Few Good Men), the recognizable Alessandro Nivola (Face-off, American Hustle, Jurassic Park), Melissa Sagemiller (Mr. Woodcock and the surprisingly fresh comedy Life on the Ledge) who's beauty I think undermines her acting insofar as in my opinion she's as underrated as she is underemployed, and finally Wendy Crewson (Air Force One, What Lies Beneath, The Good Son) whose arguably questionable choices early on belie a believability and rapport she establishes in everything in which I see her. The movie is beautifully shot in terms of the camera angles, lens & filter choices, lighting, and even the richly textured palate of colors and surfaces, fine examples of which I like to point out if only to encourage people to watch movies for more than just the central plot. There is so much more to some movies, and definitely this is true with the the great ones; the cinematography of a "Dances with Wolves", the score of a "Random Hearts", the foreshadowing of ANY Hitchcock film, and as I said this movie has its own merit. Finally in my reviews I include a few things to "Look For". Look for the understated but powerful angst on Mirren's "Eileen Hayes", wife of Redford's "Wayne Hayes" - specifically when questioned for clues by Craven's investigation. Look for the brilliant way in which the film establishes the personality dichotomy of Dafoe's "Arnold Mack", a crazy man who kidnaps Redford's Hayes, but tries to converse with him out of social instinct to pass the time and at one point after inadvertently injuring Redford's character he's visibly shaken for having hurt him and genuinely sorry. Creepy but it humanizes him and gives us the impression that the kidnapping isn't personal, just business. This layered personality is very smartly done too, almost going unnoticed it's so subtle, another way the movie works. And look for the way that this humanizing of Dafoe's Mack makes us empathize with him to one degree or another. This relationship evolves like they do in all truly good movies. And as they traverse the woods to his holding spot there's an emotionally moment when Hayes recounts to a rapt Mack his uncertainty about his engagement to his now wife. So all the above and a stunner ending.In the final analysis I like it a lot; it's taut if not spellbinding, and I'd savor this on a rainy night when one can hunker in for a good ride. Enjoy!! -Jim Boerner,  [email protected]

A low-key Suspenser emphasizing empathetic concerns at the expense of a more driving narrative. It is a talky affair with downbeat discussions and attention to melodramatic detail. The movie suffers and suffocates in its own self-consciousness and less than explanatory story.It is a somewhat engaging affair of character flaws with a forever slow and steady pulse that builds some tension but never allows access to the deep demands of the style it presents. The ending is better than the rest but is still quite unsatisfying and leaves the viewer unfulfilled with frustrations from the lackluster bemoaning's from listless and less than interesting people.

Sometimes conventions are there for a screenwriter and they get tossed for the sake of some originality. That's the case for Pieter Jan Brugge's "The Clearing", a pensive and reflective "thriller". This is a movie that tries to be a drama through masquerading as a thriller. What comes across is like over-cooked vegetables - undesirable and unpalatable to watch. (spoilers) Robert Redford gets a chance to out-hurrah Willem Defoe in absurd conversations given the chance to berate him, one-up him, and stand-tall in his victim-hood. Conversations are sometimes off kilter and supporting acting and writing for it is brittle. You get the deja vu feeling of Redford acting to love the spotlight even given the circumstances. Need to stick to conventions sometimes.

Okay, I watched this mainly because I thought the music was gonna be great. it wasn't. Neither was the movie. This was a story-less movie. In essence, nothing happens. Nothing good. If this was supposed to be a character driven movie, then where is the depth in the characters? we know virtually nothing about Hayes, Arnold and Mirren. Hayes was successful, cheats and still loves his wife. Arnold is frustrated, fired. mirren , she's the wife. But there's virtually no background. The kids are dissed, their problems are mentioned in passing.This just didn't get me. No real story, no twists, no intense character moments, no silent underacting, nothing.If this was been done with 2nd rate actors, like mark Harmon or worse. this would be straight to DVD. Only because the actors are great, this is passable. But the actors are diminished by this crap story.This fails on what supposed to be its strength, intense character acting, because the script is so boilerplate.Watch only if have to have seen everything by Willem, Redford or mirren.