The Clearing (2004)

As an executive is held captive by an employee, it's up to his wife to deliver the ransom.

Director:

Pieter Jan Brugge

Writers:

Pieter Jan Brugge (story), Justin Haythe (story)

Stars:

Robert Redford, Willem Dafoe, Helen Mirren

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	Wayne Hayes
Helen Mirren	...	Eileen Hayes
Willem Dafoe	...	Arnold Mack
Alessandro Nivola	...	Tim Hayes
Matt Craven	...	Agent Ray Fuller
Melissa Sagemiller	...	Jill Hayes
Wendy Crewson	...	Louise Miller
Larry Pine	...	Tom Finch
Diana Scarwid	...	Eva Finch
Elizabeth Ruscio	...	Cindy Mack
Gwen McGee	...	Agent Kathleen Duggan
Sarah Koskoff	...	Lane Hayes
Graciela Marin	...	Graciela
Mike Pniewski	...	Detective Kyle Woodward
Geoff McKnight	...	John Dewitt

Storyline

After decades of happy marriage and a life surrounded by luxury and wealth, Wayne Hayes, a successful car-rental businessman and his loving wife Eileen, are looking forward to a tranquil and comfortable retirement. However, the dreams of a peaceful life will eventually crumble like a pack of cards, when at gunpoint, Arnold Mack, a disgruntled former employee, will abduct Wayne in broad daylight right in front of his mansion in Pittsburgh. Suddenly, the life of the accomplished entrepreneur and seasoned negotiator rests entirely in the hands of his nervous, yet ruthless kidnapper who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is Wayne's most important negotiation in his life, nevertheless, has he the strength to succeed?

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Plot Keywords:

fbi | ransom | forest | marriage | negotiation | 

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Taglines:

One Kidnapping... Three Victims.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [France] Fox [Spain]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Secretos de un secuestro

Filming Locations:

Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$618,674, 4 July 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,763,875, 10 October 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Thousand Words, Wildwood Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film featuring Robert Redford to be screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

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Goofs

Wayne's new, white sneakers started looking less new and white, but when Wayne tries to escape and is running through the rain and mud, the sneakers look very white.

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Quotes

Eileen Hayes: You know, I never talked to him about it. I never ask him why. I just told him to get rid of her, and we got on with our life. I didn't want to know. I love him, and she admires him.

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Crazy Credits

For ALAN J. PAKULA

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Connections

Referenced in Goedemorgen Nederland: Episode dated 21 October 2004 (2004)

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Soundtracks

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User Reviews

A meditation on loss and regret

Wayne and Eileen Hayes appear to be the ideal couple. They have a successful business, live in a wealthy Pittsburgh suburb, and have two well-adjusted grown children. But when Wayne is kidnapped at gunpoint and held for ransom by a former employee, cracks in their armor begin to show. Based on the kidnapping of a Dutch industrialist, Pieter Jan Brugge's The Clearing shows two different takes on the American dream.

Robert Redford plays Wayne, a self-made car-rental executive who has become emotionally estranged from his wife and children. Willem Dafoe plays Arnold Mack, an unemployed man who sees himself as a failure and is unable to handle the success of his one-time employer. The film tells parallel stories that operate in different time frames, a unique device that deepens the puzzle. One thread revolves around Wayne, handcuffed and held at gunpoint by Arnold, being led through an area near the Great Smoky Mountains. The other revolves around Eileen (Helen Mirren) and her interactions with FBI investigator Ray Fuller (Matt Craven) who has set up his unit as a control center inside the Hayes home while the couple's children look on.

Redford is outstanding as the intense business tycoon, and Mirren gives one of her best performances, portraying a tightly controlled suburbanite wife who refuses to panic even when her husband misses a dinner party she told him to be on time for. She keeps going even when it is obvious that something has gone wrong -- swimming in her pool, holding a birthday party for her grandchild, and waiting before calling the police because she thinks that her husband may have left her. Eileen discovers through the FBI search of phone records that her husband has continued seeing another woman, a relationship he'd told her was broken off. She visits Wayne's mistress (Wendy Crewson), and retains her composure, showing emotion only in the way that she purses her lips. Always self-assured, she wants to know only where their trysts had taken place and what gifts he had brought her.

As Wayne and his abductor walk through the forest, they engage in conversations about their lives and about opportunity in America. Wayne says that he made himself what he is today, and that Arnold had the same opportunity but failed. Both play a cat-and-mouse game, but treat each other with grudging respect, and it is clear that they've both paid a price. Wayne admits that his he has lost the love of his wife because of his overindulgence in his work, and the lack of attention he paid to his children. He tells Arnold, "I love my wife... we have two beautiful kids, and I'm just getting to know them."

The Clearing is a quiet, thoughtful film that slowly builds suspense that is not released until the very end. Although there are some contrivances in the plot, the acting is superb throughout and the film works as a psychological thriller, a meditation on loss and regret, and a character study of two flawed but loving people who have forgotten how to express their joy in living.