Clear Cut

Clear Cut has the ingredients for a solid action thriller-a rugged setting, a high-stakes conflict, and a cast of familiar faces-but it never quite comes together in a satisfying way. The premise of loggers stumbling upon a meth operation in the deep woods has potential, yet the film struggles with pacing issues and predictable storytelling.

Clive Standen does his best as the lead, and Alec Baldwin and Stephen Dorff bring some presence to their roles, but the characters feel underdeveloped, making it hard to invest in their struggles. The action sequences are serviceable but lack real tension, and the villains are one-dimensional, reducing the stakes of the conflict.

While Clear Cut attempts to weave in deeper themes about survival and morality, it never fully commits, leaving the film feeling like a missed opportunity. If you're in the mood for a generic action flick with some decent performances, it might be worth a watch-but don't expect much beyond that.

Why watch a bimbo in a $10 horror movie make terrible decisions when we've got THIS movie? I've never seen so many stupid decisions made by a lead character in my entire lifetime of watching movies. There are no well drawn characters, there's no real tension here at all, not even a good use of the pacific northwest locale. The special effects, especially the fire effects, are an insult to the intelligence. Alec Baldwin is barely in this for three minutes and his exit is as lamely shot as possible. But no other character is is important as the Clive Standen character is, and we never know what the hell he's up to. Nothing he does make any sense. I'd rather watch lost puppies go through the same story because at least there will be some action on the screen that makes some natural sense.

But you won't find any sense in this movie.

Clear Cut is a complete waste of talent. The veteran actors deserved better, and it's baffling why they took on such minor roles-perhaps due to personal connections with the writers or producers. Alec's presence is barely felt with just a few minutes of screen time, which feels like a missed opportunity. Stephen delivers a solid performance, but it's overshadowed by the overall mediocrity of the film. Jesse, on the other hand, lacks the skill to carry his role, making him one of the weakest links among the more recognizable actors. Overall, the film fails to capitalize on its cast and ends up feeling like a frustrating waste of potential.

Stumbling upon the 2024 thriller "Clear Cut" by random chance here in 2025, I opted to watch it on account of it being a movie that I had never heard about, much less actually seen.

I was rather surprised with the cast ensemble in the movie, and I have to say that when I saw that the movie had Clive Standen in the leading role, I did harbor some expectations to the movie.

The storyline in the movie was enjoyable. I like what writer Joe Perruccio put together for director Brian Skiba to bring to the screen. Sure, you might argue that the storyline is a bit generic for a movie such as this, but it proved to be entertaining and enjoyable, and that is what a movie is supposed to do in my book.

The movie actually has a great cast ensemble, with the likes of Clive Standen, Alec Baldwin, Stephen Dorff, Lochlyn Munro, Jesse Metcalfe, Tom Welling and Mike Dopud on the cast list. The acting performances in the movie were good, but that was a given with that cast ensemble.

"Clear Cut" genuinely entertained me throughout the course of the 88 minutes that it ran for. But it is not a movie that actually have enough contents to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of director Brian Skiba's 2024 thriller "Clear Cut" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Bloody Action Punctuates this Never-Engaging Story of Gangs and an Undercover Family-Man that Fails to Amount to Much that Solidifies the Characters or Motivations that Make for Something to Care About.

It is Unevenly Spaced and Inadvisably Ventures Cross the Line with the Shooting Death of a Toddler, Wanting to Gain Enormous Sympathy but Leaves a Bad-Taste.

Alec Baldwin, in a Poster-Paycheck-Picture, is Offed Almost Immediately and it's Up to Villain Stephen Dorff (playing to Type) to Carry the Film and the Bad-Guys.

While Clive Standon is an Almost Indestructible Protagonist that has to Fight His Way (mostly hand to hand, but not exclusively) Out of Capture about every 15 Minutes.

It Makes for a Wild-Ride Filled with Extreme and Bloody Action that Keeps the Movie Alive while the Story is Lost in the Woods almost from the Get-Go.

The Movie is One of those that "Thinking-Caps" are a No-No, and Requires a Total Abandonment of Anything Remotely Involving Intellect, or even Making Much Sense.

A 90 Minute Excuse for some Vibrant Violence, but is Stitch Together so Loosely its in Danger of Coming Unraveled Immediately.

In Fact it Does Come Unraveled, Despite some Good Fisticuffs and Grind-House, Old-School Blood-Letting.

For those Action Fans with a Great Deal of Tolerance for Sloppy Story-Telling...

Worth a Watch.