Clay Pigeons

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Clay Pigeons

R,

1998,

1h 44m,

Mystery & Thriller/

Comedy

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Watchlist

63%

52 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

63%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In a small Montana town, Clay Bidwell (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself increasingly surrounded by dead bodies, making him the chief suspect of an FBI murder investigation. First, his best friend kills himself during a hunting trip after discovering Clay is having an affair with his wife, Amanda (Georgina Cates). A remorseful Clay starts dating waitress Gloria (Nikki Arlyn), who is killed by the vengeful Amanda. Meanwhile, Clay becomes friends with serial killer Lester Long (Vince Vaughn).

Critics Consensus

Joaquin Phoenix, Janeane Garofalo, and Vince Vaughn play for kills in this dark comedy, but the film's aim misses some of those Clay Pigeons.

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Feb 6, 2018

One of those post-Coen Brothers crime thingys that goes to extremes to make sure that everyone knows the filmmakers are too painfully cool to really mean anything they're showing you.

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

Slanted as a black comedy, but fails to secure the sufficiently outre tone (let alone any real suspense) needed to make it more than a middling retread.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

Feb 9, 2006

This quirky comedy thriller, produced by Ridley Scott, is both blackly funny and, at times, tensely disturbing and quite macabre.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jul 31, 2021

2.5/4

Playing twitchy crazies isn't Vaughn's strong suit, a point made crystal clear with the subsequent release of the same year's abysmal Psycho remake with Vaughn as Norman Bates.

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Joe Leydon

The Moving Picture Show

Jul 26, 2014

2.5/4

Call this one Fargo Lite, and you won't be far off the mark.

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Ron Wells

Film Threat

Dec 6, 2005

4/5

Vince Vaughn may play the two best movie serial killers this year if his Norman Bates rendition can match his performance in Clay Pigeons.

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Jun 20, 2018

Too many movies start off with a long, boring opening scene in which nothing really happens. Not so with Clay Pigeons. You're sucked into a simple story immediately that escalates quickly and continues to escalate and get more complex. If you think the MC has it bad in the opening scene, just wait, it gets much worse. This is the type of movie that you're better off not knowing what it's about, so I'm not including a plot summary. Just watch it. It's best described as a dark comedy. If you're the type of movie watcher that wonders what they would do in the MC's situation, Clay Pigeons will have you biting your nails as dead bodies pile up. Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix are excellent. Superb writing and directing and the perfect touch of comedy. You'll want to watch this one with a friend. Five stars all the way.

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Abraham R

Sep 18, 2017

Whoa, Joaquin and Vince Vaughn Stun Visually in this tantalizing thriller. Garofalo is GaRate.

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David Dobkin

Director

Vince Vaughn

Lester Long

Janeane Garofalo

Agent Shelby

Joaquin Phoenix

Clay Bidwell

Georgina Cates

Amanda

Phil Morris

Agent Reynard

Four Rooms

14%

69%

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62%

58%

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At Close Range

86%

79%

At Close Range

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11:14

90%

76%

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Synopsis

In a small Montana town, Clay Bidwell (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself increasingly surrounded by dead bodies, making him the chief suspect of an FBI murder investigation. First, his best friend kills himself during a hunting trip after discovering Clay is having an affair with his wife, Amanda (Georgina Cates). A remorseful Clay starts dating waitress Gloria (Nikki Arlyn), who is killed by the vengeful Amanda. Meanwhile, Clay becomes friends with serial killer Lester Long (Vince Vaughn).

Director: David Dobkin
Producer: Ridley Scott, Chris Zarpas
Screenwriter: Matthew L. Healy
Distributor: Gramercy Pictures
Production Co: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 15, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.8M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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