Deniro needs to stay away from thrillers and stick to playing bad guys or cops. In Hide and Seek, he portrays probably the worst psychiatrist/single father I've ever seen. Okay, I won't really spoil the ending but after "the revelation" of this Who's Doin It, it did NOT work for me. The writer of this movie Ari Schlossberg must have logged a lot of how-to-be-a-Hollywood screenwriter hours in class. Deniro's last thriller, Godsend, was also terrible, and he played a goofy doctor in that one, too! Typical stupid sheriff in this one who doesn't call for back-up and thinks his flashlight is a better weapon than his handgun. The daughter's role could have been played by anyone, but Dakota Fanning is the latest young darling hob-nobbing from movie to movie with big names. Her best-and only-good role as 'The Daughter' was in I Am Sam, where I thought she was fantastic. Famke Janssen was average and fluff as was Elisabeth Shue. The one and only good part of this movie is the one that didn't make it; be sure to see the alternate ending of Emily where she is institutionalized. A much smarter choice than the original ending. But then, making this movie at all was not a smart choice anyway.

You know what I don't get? Why is it that creepy little boys or girls seem to always get away with anything? Look, when I see a creepy little kid, I will say that that kid is a creepy little bastard! I call it like I see it. I realize that most kids in the world are not disturbed, but some are, and should you ever come across one, then please save humanity and do all us humans a favor by making sure that said creepy little kid is locked away for life. I realize that creepy little kids have been a staple for horror films, but to suggest that they should never be thought of as criminals is insane. Hollywood loves to portray kids as angels. Like I said, most are, but I think Hollywood needs a reality check. This leads me to Hide and Seek, a movie that is mediocre even with powerful actors like DeNiro, Fanning and Shue. For some reason, Bobby makes more mediocre films nowadays then he does quality. I realize you have to pay the bills, but come on. DeNiro is one of the best actors ever, and his movie choices lately (Godsend, which is horrible)have sucked. DeNiro should have looked at the script and then decided to burn it after reading the first 3 pages. Either that or he should have demanded a love scene with Elisabeth Shue for extra compensation. Fanning parents saw the $$$$ there little girl would earn, and signed her up real quick. Well, that is my theory, cause she is way better than this garbage. Fanning plays the "creepy little kid", and DeNiro plays her psychiatrist dad. Mom kills herself in the beginning of the movie, or at least that is what it looks like. Darling daughter becomes depressed and creepy, and daddy decides to move from the city to the country for a new start. Turns out the move is a bad idea, cause (excluding Shue's character) all the residents of this small town that we meet are creepy too. And why is it that small town folk are always creepy? Big cities have there fair share of freaks as well, but for some reason, this movie (along with many others) wants you to believe that small town folks are crazy as hell. Anyways, this movie goes from okay to flat out ridiculous in no time at all, and once the big "surprise" comes at the climax of the film, you feel as if you have seen this movie somewhere before. That is due to the fact that Hide and Seek turns into a rehash of many other films. Sad thing is the fact that Hide and Seek wants to be different........but it isn't. I'll give Fanning credit. She does play her role well, and it was because of her that I watched this whole thing. This is a dark role for her, and she seems to eat it up. She does have a bright future ahead of her, but she needs to avoid crap like this.

Normally I like to see thrillers when they come out on video, mostly because there's always one jerk in the movie theatre who laughs at the tension and just ruins the mood. And that jerk is always sitting behind me. But this movie was so gripping that I only noticed the jerk when he shifted and kicked my seat and even with that interruption every 5 minutes, I still found the movie scary. We were told in the preview that the final reel was not given to theatres until just before the first showing so that the ending would remain a secret. Still, if you want the ending to be a surprise, go see this movie in the first week otherwise some jerk (no doubt related to my movie jerk) will talk about it loudly on the subway or at work. The acting was very good and the actors were all well cast. I gave it a 9.

Hide and Seek is a really creepy psychological thriller directed by John Polson (Mission: Impossible II, The Sum of Us) and it has one of the most memorable and most shocking/surprising endings ever. Another movie that had that creepy-ending thing was Wes Craven's 'They'. (sorry, no other titles come to mind. but see They, it's extremely scary). Anyway, Robert DeNiro (Shark Tale, Cape Fear (1991)), for once, did not over-act in this movie. His acting was actually great! And Dakota Fanning just literally blew me away. She is definitely THE BEST young actress that has ever been and that will ever be (I hope I said that phrase right, but if I didn't, I'm sure you know what Ii mean). She did the same thing in War of the Worlds, too. She has a very, very, very, very, very, very, very rare gift of acting. She has such a talent that God gave her. She just passed through the part easily, as if there was nothing too it. Her part as Emily Callaway really creeped me out. She also won an MTV Movie Award for, 'Best Frightened Performance' in this movie. She really seemed actually frightened! Everything else was wonderful in this movie! See Hide and Seek! You won't be disappointed! Original MPAA rating: R: Frightening Sequences and Violence My MPAA rating: R: Violence/Terror and Frightening Sequences My Canadian rating: 14A: Violence, Frigtening Scenes, Mature Theme

The set up is kind of fun, then the center of the film gets a little boring, then secrets are revealed and you realize you've been lobotomized by stupidity. Elizabeth Shue's cleavage is the best supporting character in this otherwise teeth grindingly dumb movie. The movie is about as light an R as you can get. It tiptoed past the PG-13 with a little bit of blood, but I have to wonder if they wanted the PG-13 and were surprised by this rating. Here's a question: what is the tipping point in DeNiro's career that took his from greatness to these crap dwellings? Even Angel Heart is a masterpiece compared to most of the schlock we've been getting from Bobby during the last DeCade. To the real Robert De Niro: Come out come out wherever you are!

I went to the opening night of this movie... and I must say, I am very disappointed. The trailers really made the movie look amazing, but when I saw the movie, I thought, "When is something actually going to happen?" I found it disappointing that it took a long time for something to happen, and when it finally did, it was a very weak way to finish off a movie. As someone stated in another comment, the only thing worth seeing in that movie is Dakota Fanning. For an 11 year old, she is very creepy and sure knows how to keep an audience at the edge of their seats. I suggest to anyone who wants to see that movie to consider seeing another one, or wait until it comes out on VHS/DVD so you can rent it for cheap.

Hide and Seek is a solid thriller. It is well-acted and well-photographed. It has been some time since I wanted to say anything nice about Robert DeNiro. His lowlifes and tough guys and neanderthal gangsters were getting very stale. He was very good in this. I like the way he relates to his troubled daughter. Dakota was excellent as was the underemployed Famke Jansen. Unlike the Shyamalan efforts,which have never failed to bore me to distraction, this movie is actually entertaining. The ending of Signs had me shaking the seat in front of me and howling like George C.Scott in Hardcore. The good reviews that followed it made me doubt the integrity of professional critics. Take it from someone who has no axes to grind, who is not connected to the movie industry in any way,no behinds to kiss, no under the table pay offs expected, Hide and Seek is better than most of the movies that I saw last year. See it!

I was absolutely on the edge of my seat the entire time. The acting was terrific and the mood and pace was unlike any thriller I have seen before. I really didn't know how it was going to play out and it almost didn't matter who 'Charlie' even was. I was just enjoying the setup. De Niro and Fanning are a solid match and did a wonderfully job conveying the desperate but paralyzed father and the tormented frightened child. Even though we've seen various parts of this before, the way it was done was fresh and as scary as hell!! I thought "Hide and Seek" was great fun and a pleasant surprise and I hope it brings De Niro back to doing what we love him to do - Drama! Check it out!

As a psychological thriller, or a horror film, "Hide and Seek" doesn't break new ground. In fact, once it's over, the viewer feels somehow manipulated by what we have just witnessed. There are, supposedly, four different alternative endings for the movie, but unfortunately, the one being shown, doesn't add anything to what we have already seen. Although the film has some interesting moments, director John Polson has gone for the Grand Guignol effect. Ari Schlosberg's screen play gives us hints about what to expect, yet, when we realize the mystery at the center of the story, we keep scratching our heads. Suffice it to say, this film doesn't add anything to Robert DeNiro's brilliant career. Mr. DeNiro's last choices in films puzzle us, as well as his fans because we know he is capable of doing much better. Yet, as shown with this film and "Meet the Parents", and its sequel, "Meet the Fockers", "Analize This", and "Analize That", the actor keeps us wondering about his choices. Dakota Fanning is a young actress who shows an uncanny sense of how to upstage Mr. DeNiro in most of their scenes together. As Emily, in this film, this girl shows an enormous range in what she is capable of doing. One can see Ms. Fanning growing to be another Jody Foster in later years. The rest of the cast is completely underused. Amy Irving is only seen in flashbacks, which is a shame since she is a valuable actress. Famke Janssen has a few key scenes. The same goes for Melissa Leo, Elisabeth Shue and Robert John Burke. The only consolation was it was shown on cable and we felt lucky not having spent the price of admission.

This was okay but nothing special. Frankly, I hate to see a young likable talent like Dakota Fanning play morose, ugly roles like this. Let her be a kid who laughs, has fun and acts like a kid, such as she did in "The Cat In The Hat." Since then, she's playing in rougher and rougher films although "Dreamer" with Kurt Russell, I am told, is a nice film. Anyway, you know that with her and Robert De Niro, you're going to get some excellent acting. The movie also offers a lot of suspense. While it was not fun seeing a young girl mentally tortured and depressed all the time, it was nice to see De Niro play such a low-key role for most of he film. I would think, without giving anything away, that one viewing of this film would be enough, even if one likes it. Once you know the ending, well...... If you are not a big fan of either Fanning or De Niro (I am) , I wouldn't even give it one viewing.