The Hidden is not just another eighties science fiction, it’s much, much more than that. It features an original story full of twists and mystery that will keep you entertained. Fast-paced action, check, aliens, check, witty one-liners, check… I could go on and on but I think it’s best that you discover the things you like about this movie for yourself. It’s definitely a hidden gem that deserves more attention.
The cast is excellent and you could already see that Kyle MacLachlan is going to be a great actor. With support from experienced Michael Nouri, routinely playing veteran detective. Also here you will see Ed O’Ross not playing the Russian bad guy, which is a true rarity. What started out as a simple action thriller will soon turn into supernatural horror, still keeping previous elements and maintaining high quality. The alien transition sequences are delightfully disgusting, just adding to the already engaging atmosphere.
And, of course, The Hidden wouldn’t be a true 80s masterpiece, without some humor, adding more to the whole entertaining vibe of the flick. I noticed quite a good soundtrack featuring some really good thrash and speed metal songs because it seems whenever you wanna go on a killing rampage you have to listen to metal.
After a regular citizen Jack DeVries robs a bank and starts acting like a homicidal maniac, detective Tom Beck is assigned to solve this crime. With no priors or history of mental illness, crimes seem really strange, but detective Beck has only one thing on his mind and that is catching the bad guy. But when another citizen with a similar background does the same thing, he will be puzzled by the nature of the crimes. To his help comes Lloyd Gallagher an FBI agent, who’s been tracking this criminal much longer (much, much longer).
For a science fiction movie, The Hidden has a lot of excellent shootouts, explosions and chases. The action is there to keep you entertained while you follow a relatively straightforward main plot. However, the thing I liked most about this movie is that it’s unassuming. It’s like here’s the shit that’s going down, we hope you like it because we do. And it maintains that attitude ’till the glorious finale.
Director: Jack Sholder
Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian, Clarence Felder, Clu Gulager, Ed O’Ross
Fun Facts: Michael Nouri turned down the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987) to make this movie.
Rating:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093185/
