The Hidden

Directed by Jack Sholder, The Hidden follows grizzled detective Tom Beck (Michael Nouri) as he reluctantly teams up with an oddball FBI agent (Kyle MacLachlan’s Lloyd Gallagher) to catch a series of seemingly unstoppable perps. There’s little doubt that The Hidden fares best in its fast-paced and exciting opening stretch, as the movie’s engrossing first act boasts a handful of exceedingly compelling elements – with the ongoing violent exploits of the aforementioned perp certainly standing as an obvious highlight (eg his trip to a record store, his visit to a car dealership, etc, etc). It’s clear, as well, that the picture benefits from the familiar yet agreeable chemistry between Nouri and McLachlan’s respective characters, with the actors’ solid work here undoubtedly heightening the effectiveness of their scenes together (although, by that same token, it’s clear that Nouri’s Tom Beck remains unwilling to accept Lloyd’s point of view for much longer than is reasonable). The movie’s meandering midsection ensures that one’s interest dwindles steadily in the buildup to the decent climax, and it does seem fairly apparent, ultimately, that there’s just not enough substance here to warrant a full-length feature (ie this probably would’ve worked better as an episode of The X-Files or The Twilight Zone or something along those lines).

**1/2 out of ****