The critics have been surprisingly rather merciless about Robert De Niro's latest vehicle, Hide And Seek, and it isn't too difficult to see why. Directed by John Polson (Swimfan), this psychological thriller starts off with a strait-laced & reserved psychologist (played by De Niro) who moves to the countryside with his daughter (Dakota Fanning) after the apparent suicide of his wife (Amy Irving). The film has such a draggy start, it was a miracle that I didn't doze off in the first hour especially since none of the adult actors were very convincing. I was expecting so much from Robert De Niro but perhaps, his contrived performance here is the result of a defective screenplay, which by the way, is a cheat -- the twist ending is almost M. Night Syamalan-ish but only half as clever. De Niro also has the chance to let loose like Jack Nicholson in The Shining (*spoiler alert~!) yet somehow, it was only a teeny weeny bit scary and borders more on kitsch.The real star of the show is child-actor Dakota Fanning, whose arresting eyes (whether glazed over like an insane person or tearful with fright) steal scenes from under the noses of her more experienced co-stars such as Famke Janssen and Elizabeth Shue. In my honest opinion, Fanning's eerie performance has more clout and credibility than anyone else in the film, and she is reminiscent of a younger Christina Ricci or Winona Ryder, both of whom are very talented actresses in their own right (and both of whom seem to have disappeared into mediocrity upon adulthood ;p).
Although Hide And Seek is absolutely formulaic and nothing novel, I think it's still an agreeable watch if you're looking for a change from the "dramadey" films which have been flooding our cinemas lately (due to the Oscar season). Not only is it waaaaaayy better than the nonsensical White Noise, Fanning's presence is almost worth the $8.50 to watch this film... (key-word = almost). Moreover, I've also learnt that there are two different endings to this movie; so if you've got nuthin' better to do, you can try figure out which ending your cinema is showing... LOL
my ratings --- 3/5 stars!!!
