Producer of The Insider and Bulworth, Pieter Jan Brugge moves to direct a story that he's been passionate about. It's a psychological thriller about a hardworking couple (Robert Redford and Helen Mirren), who have built up a business and raised two children, finding their lives torn apart when Wayne Hayes (Redford) opens the door to Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe). Perhaps he's naïve, perhaps he's too trusting, but you get the impression that Hayes wants to believe in this man's story.

Mack has other ideas and is in the business of the kidnapping. Brugge's camera follows Mack and Hayes into dense woods, whilst Eileen's (Mirren) home is invaded by FBI investigators, who turn over just about everything. In the turmoil, Eileen and Wayne, even though forced apart by the incident, find a greater love for each other.

The Clearing is one of those movies that leads down a winding and vaguely interesting path. It reminds you of In The Bedroom, where Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson acted their socks off. You soon get used to Mirren as an American housewife and Dafoe and Redford do their best to make the most of the tension between kidnapper and kidnapped.

When all is said and done, you yearn for a little more in the final analysis. A good cast does its best with the material given and in many ways this is a very un-Hollywood film.