Clay Pigeons

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Clay Pigeons

R

Released Sep 15, 1998

1h 44m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

61%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

68%

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).

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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

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.

Feb 6, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

Variety

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.

Mar 26, 2009

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Derek Adams

Time Out

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

Feb 9, 2006

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

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.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 31, 2021

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Joe Leydon

The Moving Picture Show

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 26, 2014

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Ron Wells

Film Threat

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

Rated: 4/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Ari V

Ultimately shies away from saying anything clearly, but aomething about it stuck with me over the years. Especially Vaughn's work.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Audience Member

Small town crime movie sees Joaquin Phoenix having bodies dropping all around him, starting with his friend who's wife he's sleeping with who takes his own life. He then meets a friendly stranger played by Vince Vaughn who happens to be a serial killer. All while being the prime suspect with an out of town cops case played by Janeane Garofolo. Great cast elevates this often told story II to a fun watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

dont know how i missed this cracking film. Dont let silly title put you off this noire gem

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Audience Member

Entertaining and we'll done. Was destined for cult classic commedy from the word go.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

pleasantly surprised! i can't tell if Vince Vaughn made a good serial killer or not, haha -- but i really enjoyed it. the twists & turns happen basically right out of the gate, but the story is good & it has a satisfying ending. would recommend this one, for sure.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

3.6 solid movie and great acting from their a list stars

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/30/20

Full Review

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David Dobkin

Director

Vince Vaughn

Lester Long

Janeane Garofalo

Agent Shelby

Joaquin Phoenix

Clay Bidwell

Georgina Cates

Amanda

Phil Morris

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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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