'The Clearing' deals with the kidnapping of a wealthy, successful businessman. Robert Redford plays Wayne Hayes, a self made wealthy car rental businessman. Wayne with his long time wife Eileen (Helen Mirren) live in their dream house in Pittsburg. They built up their successful business and raised their children together. There is a lot of love as well as a lot of trouble in their relationship. Eileen has stayed with Wayne in spite of an affair he had with another woman at the office.

One fine morning Wayne is kidnapped by a disgruntled former employee of Wayne. The incident changes the whole life of this wealthy couple. Eileen did not know about Wayne's abduction until that evening. She reports Wayne as a missing person to the police. When Wayne's car turns up in a remote parking lot, the case gets classified as kidnapping.

Soon Eileen has to deal with her grown up kids, various FBI agents and frustrating ransom demands. Meanwhile Wayne keeps negotiating with his kidnapper Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe) for his release.

The story runs in two parallel segments, one focusing on how Wayne's family copes with the crises and the other a circumstantial relationship between Wayne and Arnold. Eileen cops with her dilemma well by managing with the loss of her husband and all kinds of poking by the FBI agents into her personal life and the revelation that her husband had an affair with a subordinate at the office. On the other hand, Wayne and Arnold talk about life, work, their family and other women. Wayne comes to understand how Arnold's jealousy escalated with Wayne's success in business and forced Arnold to the point that he has to abduct Wayne for ransom.

An astute storyteller, Brugge, spins a brilliant tale of two parallel segments that has a wholesome effect on the film by making both equally riveting. He tries to bring out the fact that the economic inequality can create a lot of disgruntled people. Switching between the home front and the woods, Brugge unfolds a kidnapping drama that is very well structured. The legendary Redford gives an excellent performance as an adulterous husband who was forced to examine his fate in the hands of his captor. Dafoe also gives a solid performance. But it is Mirren who steals the show in a moving portrait of a loving wife bruised by sexual betrayal. The movie may be emotionally satisfying but there are times when this movie drags.

We rate this movie above Average.