Robert Redford plays Wayne Hayes, a self-made man who built a fortune in the fiercely competitive rental-car business. Hayes and his wife, Eileen (Helen Mirren), live quietly in their mansion, and Hayes continues to work as a corporate consultant. But their peaceful existence is shattered when Hayes is kidnapped by Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe), a desperate man whose intentions are not what they seem.
The kidnapping forces Wayne and Eileen to take a hard look at their lives. They reassess their marriage. Their loyalty is tested. They question morality — their own and society’s. Suffice it to say, there are no easy answers.
In keeping with the film’s realistic tone, the three leads underplay their roles effectively, giving us ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. Mirren is sympathetic as a woman who’s forced to decide her husband’s fate, even after discovering some of his less-attractive qualities. Dafoe, who may be our finest actor in this sort of role, elicits sympathy for a seemingly unsympathetic man.
Yet, it’s Redford that makes it all work. This aging matinee idol gives us a character so many of us can relate to — a man gone astray who seizes an opportunity to make amends with those who mean the most to him. The Clearing powerfully and gracefully delivers the message that salvation isn’t out of reach.
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2004.
