Hide in Plain Sight

Hide in Plain Sight
Directed by James Caan
Produced by Robert W. Christiansen
Rick Rosenberg
Written by Leslie Waller (novel)
Spencer Eastman
Starring James Caan
Jill Eikenberry
Robert Viharo
Barbara Rae
Joe Grifasi
Kenneth McMillan
Josef Sommer
Danny Aiello
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Cinematography Paul Lohmann
Edited by Fredric Steinkamp
William Steinkamp
Production
company
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
  • April 21, 1980 (1980-04-21) (Portugal)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $6 million[2]
Box office under $2 million (North America)[2]

Hide in Plain Sight is a 1980 American drama film directed by and starring James Caan with storyline based on an actual case from the files of New York attorney Salvatore R. Martoche who represented the real life Buffalo, New York, victim's suit to recover contact with his children estranged by the culpability of the new husband and government.

Plot

Divorced father Thomas Hacklin discovers, on visiting his children, that his ex-wife's residence has been abandoned; he is unable to locate or contact them. He is mystified after approaching the authorities, who refuse to assist, but speculates when he becomes aware that her new husband is in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. As he makes inroads into finding their location, the police and authorities make it more difficult for him to make contact. He becomes determined upon discovering the government advised the low-tier mobster new husband to marry his ex-wife, in order to disqualify her from testifying against him in the eventuality of a trial for his criminal activities. The mob follows Hacklin's actions for their own purposes.

Cast

Reception

Hide in Plain Sight received a mixed reception from critics.[3]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two out of four stars and praised the acting, but ultimately viewed the film negatively, calling it "a frustrating real-life thriller that makes the fatal mistake of being more true to real life than to the demands of narrative."[4] Variety also wrote the film a mixed review, stating, "Hide in Plain Sight has some of the makings of a good, honest film. It tells the true story of a working man's fight against the system, features several poignant moments, and makes a number of political messages in an effective yet unobtrusive manner. But in his directorial debut, James Caan never musters the energy or emotion needed to break the unbearably slow, dismal tone."[1]

Production

Caan's passion project, took him two years to make which also included his idea of a film without music score but MGM executives prevailed.[2]

Release

Home media

Released on VHS: 1981; 1992, MGM-UA Home Video and DVD: 2010, Warner Home Video (Warner Archive).

References

  1. 1 2 Variety staff (31 December 1979). "Hide in Plain Sight". Variety. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 MOVIES: FILM DIRECTING: FOR CAAN, IT'S NOT A FESTIVAL Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 02 Nov 1980: q31.
  3. "Hide in Plain Sight". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  4. Ebert, Roger (26 March 1980). "Hide in Plain Sight". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 9 March 2012.

External links

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