------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating : 5.5/10
Directed By : K.C. Bascombe
Rachel Miner (Bully)
Christian Kane (Leverage (TV) )
Polly Shannon (Lie with Me)
Beth Grant (Hot Tamale)
Supplied By : MTI Home Video
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : June. 22, 2009
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PLOT After ruthlessly killing innocent victims in their latest bank robbery, Betty escapes, but Billy is caught by the police and sentenced to life in prison. However, seven years later a technicality brings about a new trial… and a chance for Betty to bust him out during a transfer. While on the run to uncover a hidden stash of money, Billy confesses that he is no longer her reckless and carefree partner in crime and that someone is targeting those close to him. Finally at their destination they find that the whole town is abandoned… or is it? They are a bout to meet their judge, jury and executioner… all rolled into one |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| THE REVIEW In HIDE, Betty and Billy are a young couple on the run who rob an kill all for a thrill - they are a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, in fact they see the relationship shared by the two legendary criminals poetic. When a robbery at a small town diner goes awry, Billy is sent off to prison. Billy spends 7 years away from his beloved Betty, but during a prison transfer, the two are finally reunited when Betty springs Billy from the armored car. The two of them are happy to be together once more, but things are different this time around, as it seems that the time in prison has changed Billy. Betty has not changed and is still the same violent thrill seeker she's always been and would like to resume the twos' old life of crime sprees and murder, however Billy would prefer to just remain calm and cool, but not without one last order of business first. Just what exactly is that order of business? To retrieve some money that Billy once stashed away in a cemetery near the diner during one of their getaways years prior. With that in mind Billy and Betty return to the small town in hopes of digging up the money, but little do they know that going to the town, seeing the diner in which they killed multiple innocent people, among other things, would bring up ghosts of their past, those that continue to haunt them. The first time that I had a look at the trailer for HIDE, I have to admit that I thought it had potential. I happen to like the films that have been made on Bonnie and Clyde and have also read about the store quite a bit, so seeing as this film was described as "Bonnie and Clyde" with a twist, I was all in. The film starts off great. In Billy and Betty we have two lovers that aren't only connected by their love but by their life of crime. At the beginning, in typical fashion, we listen as they discuss escaping to Mexico or even South America, with us not yet familiar with these characters or even their fates, this discussion makes us eager for what's to come(or at least that was the case for me). But it's just after the mention of an escape that the camera pans back to reveal to us that out two lovebirds have killed every one in the diner in which they are speaking. With the diner now surrounded by authorities, the couple has no choice but to come out with guns blazing. As we fade to black, we are prompted with a card that tells us it is 7 years later. It seems as if Billy has now spent those 7 years in prison(for what we are unsure of but we believe for murder) Billy is being transported to another prison when suddenly the truck in derailed....it's trusty Betty who is there to bail her man out. It's here where the film's exciting and interesting start begins to slow down, as the plot slowly and continuously becomes less and less eventful after this. Betty wants to continue the life of crime she so enjoys, but surprisingly, Billy, who seems to be but a mere shell of himself would not, almost as is something about his former life really bothers him. But never the less the two eventually embark on a journey that leads them back to the scene of the diner shootout in search for some stashed money. Once they reach the town, things in the plot begin to mix up as they are seemingly haunted by ghosts and possibly a slasher film-like masked killer. I have no idea what the filmmakers where going for in the latter parts of the film, but during the course of it, this film attempts to cross over several genres, unfortunately it doesn't quite work and as a result the film becomes a rather incoherent mess. With that said, the film was still shot beautifully. It was shot on location in Argentina, although judging by Betty and Billy's way southern accents, it is supposed to be set in the south. The acting here is actually fairly good, and yes Christian Kane(Billy) and Rachel Miner(Betty) go make an interesting and fun on screen duo. Their portrayals are somewhat believable, but I have to say that their accents are a little too strong and "put on-ish), well maybe not so much in the case of Kane, who is from my hometown of Dallas, but as for Miner, sometimes it's just a little too obvious. With her drawl here and twangy pronouncing of words, she kind of reminded me a little of Actress Holly Hunter, who has also done the southern accent this way in her films. Overall, HIDE is a film that starts off great, there are enjoyable moments, but there are times that just not a lot of things happens. The film also ends in another one of those ending that is indented to be clever, but instead confuses the audience. |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| GORE
METER 3.5/10 There are a few gunshot wounds and some blood splatter, as well as some violent scenes. |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
|
MUSICAL
SCORE 2.5/10 Mostly indie folk-type music | ||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM HIDE is your typical Bonnie and Clyde story in the way that it's setup, but it tries to differentiate itself by adding touches of various types of other films. It's when it attempts to do this that it basically loses itself, as the things about it that were once easy-going and enjoyable, become tiresome, while other things seem just implausible. This DVD will be released on June 30, 2009 |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| STILLS | ||||
|
