Great Film: The Clearing
A great character driven caper
Robert Redford is an icon. From the same DNA strand as Paul Newman and
Clint Eastwood, younger viewers might not be as versed as to their
contributions over the past fifty years of film. In fact, when I asked
a just 20-something person at the office about Mr. Redford, I got films
like The Last Castle, Spy Games and The Horse Whisperer as their
reference to the name. No Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. No The
Candidate, and I won't even begin to explain the bewildered expression
I received when I mentioned All The President's Men.
Based on this ignorance (the word sounds a lot stronger than it is
intended), I don't expect to see the character driven The Clearing
burning up the box office figures when it is released amongst a host of
summer blockbusters. With it's three main stars being in their 40's,
50's and 60's, I expect that younger audiences might prefer some
strange movie about a radioactive spider bitten school boy that opens
the same week-end.
The Clearing is a story about a successful businessman, Wayne
(Redford), who is kidnapped by down on his luck Arnold Mack (Willem
Dafoe) and held for a ransom of $10 million in a secluded forest.
Motive being solely money and a second chance at life, Arnold toys with
Wayne's wife Eileen (Helen Mirren) and the F.B.I. sending them clues
and cryptic instructions in efforts to secure his bounty. Like most
kidnapping films, the movie can only end one of two ways really, and
don't expect that to be revealed here.
The Clearing is not the first kidnapping movie and will be far from the
last. Sometimes it is done well (Man on Fire), sometimes bad (Proof of
Life) and most times, Hollywood and test audiences determine the ending
or the amount of drama they will allow their leading cast to perform
(Ransom).
That is why The Clearing was, well…refreshing. As a small, independent
film, The Clearing doesn't have to answer to the harsh brass that sway
their approach based on night vision goggles in darkened theaters. It
can tell a story the way the filmmaker intended; raw, intense and
without all the loose ends tied up like a front of the tree Christmas
present.
Instead, director Pieter Jan Brugge can let his actors do what they do
best and wow us with the way they work a camera and capture an audience
using a look or a sneer. Pieter assembled the perfect cast for his
directorial debut. Dafoe is subtle as the kidnapping brainchild, but he
is also able to project a vulnerability that could have been awfully
laughable in the hands of a lesser actor. Redford, coming off two
paycheck roles in Spy Game and The Last Castle, is equally convincing
as a man flawed in character and without excuses. When Wayne is
confronted about his infidelity, he doesn't try to skirt the issue and
there are no attempts to justify the action. Instead, his deep blue
eyes are able to relay back to the audience that of a man who wishes
things could have been different and who seems genuinely concerned
about the hurt he may have caused others.
But maybe the best acting within the films running time is in the
performance of Helen Mirren. Having to deal with the uncertainty of her
husband, the confrontation with his mistress and an F.B.I. agent that
tends to cause more harm than benefit, Mirren projects a woman of
strength and stamina that is believable in her actions and in her
approach to finding a fitting conclusion to the complex ordeal.
Handling the situation with class and grace, yet frequently in panic
over the possibilities, Mirren gives what is undoubtedly her strongest
on screen performance in the past 10 years.
It was a bit of a surprise in 2004 when The Clearing appeared at the
Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Not that it isn't the type of film that
these festivals build their foundations upon, but the fact that this
was the first starring vehicle for Redford to be shown at the festival
to which he created. Looking at his last 10 or so role choices, a
better selection could not have been made.
So for any of you younger folk that might find themselves to the end of
this review, do yourself a favor and start to amass a viewing catalog
that will include Redford, Newman and Eastwood while we still have time
to enjoy their continued efforts. These great men might never be
equaled. Heck, you don't expect one day to see an Adam Sandler Salad
Dressing do you?
Cast
- Louise Miller played by Wendy Crewson
- Wayne Hayes played by Robert Redford
- Agent Ray Fuller played by Matt Craven
- Arnold Mack played by Willem Dafoe
- Eileen Hayes played by Helen Mirren
- Tim Hayes played by Alessandro Nivola
- Jill Hayes played by Melissa Sagemiller
