As much as I love Christian Kane I was skeptical about watching "Hide" after reading some of the reviews. I'm glad I threw off my doubts and watched anyway. I will admit the beginning is a little slow. But make the effort to pay attention to some of the details, it'll pay off in the end. And if you stick it out past the first 5-10 minutes, like me, you should find yourself engrossed in the unfolding story and wondering how it is all going to end. Will they go out in a blaze of glory? Will they make to freedom? Or is there something else in store. The scenery in some parts is truly breathtaking. And a lot of the dialog makes one stop to contemplate the realities of life - good and evil. That is not to say the film isn't without faults, but the overall takeaway was this is a low-budget film with excellent acting and plot to make you stop and think.
Hide is a dark psychological thriller with obvious throwbacks to Bonnie and Clyde, Natural Born Killers, and earlier Tarantino, as has been pointed out by many other reviews. The main character, Billy, is played by actor/country music artist Christian Kane. Honestly, I feel it showcases his acting quite well. Throughout the film, we get to see different sides of Billy. At one point I wondered was he suffering from D.I.D. or perhaps Bi-polar, in addition to the obvious sociopathic and psychopathic traits of a serial killer. CK is able to manifest these traits subtly enough to make them feel believable. Far too often low budget and even high budget Hollywood films portray these traits as over the top and exaggerated. The only thing exaggerated in Hide is perhaps the accents, particularly Rachel Miner's (Betty). If I had one complaint about the whole film it would be her accent and the incessant use of "Baby".
Between the hidden tips to the plot/twist, and the time jumps between present day, recent past, and distant past of Billy's life, this is a film you must pay attention to. As a psychological thriller, it is written to make the viewer stop and think.
( MAJOR SPOILER ALERT STARTING NOW )
You may think you know, but it really isn't what it appears. Those that have watched the TV show "Lucifer" will most likely understand the plot twist right away. Hide was produced before Lucifer, however, Lucifer was based on an old DC comic, which was based on a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman. Point being, the concept for the twist has been around.
If you still don't understand the ending here's a summary: Seven years earlier, the opening scene in the diner, Betty died in the shootout. Billy was sent to prison. Seven years later he was being transferred when the prison van was struck by another vehicle. This is when Billy dies. Everything past this point, the entire rest of the movie, is Billy's time in "Hell" living his life and death over and over. His torture is doing horrible things to those he loves unable to stop himself. Throughout the movie, Billy says things that will give you hints to understanding the plot twist. He even has a conversation with a dog, hound of hell, about the need for chains in order to keep the evil inside under control. You have to understand that he is dead and in hell to understand the ending. The ending is not another flashback, but a reset on his life to live over again, and again, and again. The Hell is of his own design, his own guilt and psychological torture based on the way he lived his life.
Hide is a dark psychological thriller with obvious throwbacks to Bonnie and Clyde, Natural Born Killers, and earlier Tarantino, as has been pointed out by many other reviews. The main character, Billy, is played by actor/country music artist Christian Kane. Honestly, I feel it showcases his acting quite well. Throughout the film, we get to see different sides of Billy. At one point I wondered was he suffering from D.I.D. or perhaps Bi-polar, in addition to the obvious sociopathic and psychopathic traits of a serial killer. CK is able to manifest these traits subtly enough to make them feel believable. Far too often low budget and even high budget Hollywood films portray these traits as over the top and exaggerated. The only thing exaggerated in Hide is perhaps the accents, particularly Rachel Miner's (Betty). If I had one complaint about the whole film it would be her accent and the incessant use of "Baby".
Between the hidden tips to the plot/twist, and the time jumps between present day, recent past, and distant past of Billy's life, this is a film you must pay attention to. As a psychological thriller, it is written to make the viewer stop and think.
( MAJOR SPOILER ALERT STARTING NOW )
You may think you know, but it really isn't what it appears. Those that have watched the TV show "Lucifer" will most likely understand the plot twist right away. Hide was produced before Lucifer, however, Lucifer was based on an old DC comic, which was based on a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman. Point being, the concept for the twist has been around.
If you still don't understand the ending here's a summary: Seven years earlier, the opening scene in the diner, Betty died in the shootout. Billy was sent to prison. Seven years later he was being transferred when the prison van was struck by another vehicle. This is when Billy dies. Everything past this point, the entire rest of the movie, is Billy's time in "Hell" living his life and death over and over. His torture is doing horrible things to those he loves unable to stop himself. Throughout the movie, Billy says things that will give you hints to understanding the plot twist. He even has a conversation with a dog, hound of hell, about the need for chains in order to keep the evil inside under control. You have to understand that he is dead and in hell to understand the ending. The ending is not another flashback, but a reset on his life to live over again, and again, and again. The Hell is of his own design, his own guilt and psychological torture based on the way he lived his life.