Hide in Plain Sight

Never saw this film directed by James Caan, who also appears in the title role. This movie must have gone directly to video because we don't recollect if it ever was released commercially. The picture has a "movie of the week" feeling to it, which could well be the reason for not having received a wider release.

The film makes an interesting point. Thomas Hacklin, a factory worker, has divorced his wife, but they have remained in friendly terms. We watch as Tom comes, at the start of the movie, to baby sit his son and daughter. Clearly, Tom adores these children.

His divorced wife has remarried the small time hoodlum Jack Solese. When this man runs into problems with the law, he is offered a release and witness protection in exchange for his cooperation in getting the principal mobsters in jail. When he complies and points the finger to the responsible guys, Jack and his family are relocated to Michigan. Tom, on the other hand, is not notified about the where abouts. Thus begins his quest for his own children.

James Caan, makes a good impression as the working class father. Jill Eikenberry plays Alisa, the woman who has settled in the area and loves Tom. The supporting cast is good. Robert Viharo, Joe Grifasi, Barbra Rae, Kenneth McMillan, Josef Sommer and Danny Aiello work well under Mr. Caan's direction.

This is a curiosity because it's the only film directed by Mr. Caan.

This film DID get a theatrical release, but it quickly disappeared. It's unfortunate, because it's very thoughtful film. As a director, Caan made some interesting choices.

As a side note, I saw Caan discussing it in an interview a long time ago. He said the studio had no faith in the film, so they dumped it without much advertisement. And then they were shocked when it received great reviews. But by then, it was already dead. He also mentioned that the pan & scan version that was on TV changed a lot of wide-screen two shots into separate shots! I'm not sure if the same thing happened with the VHS, but I'll bet it did. Hopefully, a proper version will come out on DVD one of these days.

I thought the naturalism of the settings worked well for Caan. It's got that gritty 70's look. It's also interesting to see a film shot in Buffalo, NY during that period. The extras are good and some of the hairstyles and fashions are hysterical. I thought Caan did a good job considering this was the first and last movie he shot. Jill Eikenberry's acting is very natural. The climax is not exploitative and thus is believable. Not played very much on cable although the topic is timely, I forget which station I caught it on fairly recently. The character is played well by Caan and I identified with the working class element. I was also wondering why Hollywood never gave James Caan another directing job, was it because this fared poorly at the box office?

James Caan is Tom Hacklin Jr., a Buffalo factory worker whose divorced wife Ruthie has custody of their kids and is dating a Mafia thug Jack Scolese who goes into a witness protection program after getting busted for a poorly-executed bank robbery. When Ruthie and Scolese disappear into the program, they wind up taking Hacklin's kids with them and from there on out Hacklin has little recourse but to plead his case in court or pick up what little clues he can find in ascertaining his children's whereabouts.

Caan is quite good here as a respectful, hardworking ordinary guy who finds himself up against a combination of bureaucratic inertia and determined government stonewalling, not to mention the Mafia's menacing presence. In this emotionally charged struggle, he rarely loses his cool. The film's only major flaw is a pacing that occasionally feels too leisurely for a story about an aggrieved father trying to find his kids, although eventually it does pick up and become quite suspenseful. Recommended.

I am a great fan of James Caan's work and when I found out about this flick I had to order the DVD from a dealer because no one was streaming it. I was not disappointed; this movie is a gem. First off we have Caan's performance, up to his usual high level. Then we have the minimalist approach of the filmmakers. Every scene gives the viewer no more than what he needs to know for the story to progress, and there is no excess emotionalism. Use of music is minimal. As a result the story keeps you involved from beginning to end. Also worth mentioning is the fine work of Kevin McMillan, an excellent character actor. I don't know why this flick isn't better known but it is definitely worth seeing.