This movie stars one of my all-time favorite actresses, Helen Mirren, and one of my all-time favorite hunks, Robert Redford. Mirren never disappoints, and in this film, she gives a gentle, controlled performance of a woman who looks back on her marriage as she is faced with losing her husband. As for Redford, well, his hunk days are long over. Over the years that show so very clearly on his face, he has become a much more relaxed actor. Here he gives a striking performance of a man who stares death in the face as contemplates his life. Both Redford and Mirren are ably assisted by Willem Dafoe as a kidnapper, a man who lives in a house full of "disappointed people." This isn't a happy film, yet it doesn't leave one in despair because two people, though separated, are able to find each other again. The pace is on the slow side - rather, the pace isn't pushed. But it kept me interested and invested in all of the characters, even the FBI man, throughout. The ending is particularly poignant.
Review of The Clearing
