The Hidden

I am NOT a major fan of action films, so the fact that I liked "The Hidden" is unusual. The movie is jam-packed full of explosions, gun fire, deaths and mayhem. But it also works as an inventive sci-fi movie...one that pretty much went under the radar back in 1987 when it debuted.

The film has an incredibly simple plot...when the film begins, a maniac is running amok in LA...killing and stealing as if there's no tomorrow. Soon, however, you realize this killer is NOT a typical killer...he's practically indestructible. And, when he's about to die, a disgusting alien pops out of his mouth and inhabits the next person...and begins the murder spree all over again!! However, an oddball who claims to be an FBI agent (Kyle McLaughlen) arrives to assist the lead detective on the case (Michael Nouri) and they are the Earth's best bet to stop this menace.

Despite relying heavily on action and wholesale slaughter, the film is intelligently written and original. It's also an interesting time capsule of the late 1980s...in all its awfulness and excess. Well worth your time.

This movie is extremely well-made for what it is. Fascinating, thought-provoking, it surprised the Hell out of me when I first saw it. This could have been a "gimmick" sci-fi movie, but it's handled deftly by the director, who I had never heard of, and by MacLachlan, who gives a terrific, sensitive, multi-layered performance.

For that matter, most of characters have real dimension to them. This movie transcends a rather bland, run-of-the-mill science fiction story with the chemistry between its characters and the snappy pacing. I like the way the themes of identity and compassion are actually explored instead of just exploited.

When more than one mild mannered person turns up on a wild rampage of stolen sports cars, indulgence and murder, cop Michael Nouri can barely keep up. But his low-affect new partner Kyle MacLachlan seems to know exactly what is going on. They're perfectly cast in a totally unexpected movie that unfolds with relentless action, surprises, and oddly believable absurdities. Claudia Christian is perfect too, as a stripper who won't take no for an answer.

It's hard to do this movie justice without spoiling surprises, but once you tune in to it, the mix - violence strongly serving character and story, oddball humor, and tantalizing science fiction - is uniquely addictive. There's no other movie like it. Have fun!

One of the coolest and most intense sci-fi movies I've ever seen. True, the body count is high, but it's kind of tongue-in-cheek if you actually pay attention to the movie. After watching it a number of times, I discovered that there appears to be a visual body count tally included on the screen. Five kills in the first killing scene - camera shows it took place on fifth street. There's an elevator scene in which the floor selected indicates the latest current count. Some are pretty subtle, you have to notice the time on the clock or maybe a hospital room number or something like that, but look for a number to appear after each killing or series of killings, and you'll find it. There are quite a few correlating numbers that are just too obvious and too frequent to be coincidental. Check it out.

This movie is very underrated, and it´s great movie filled with a really great story, full of over the top special effects, over the top action, pursuits, glorious sountrack, what more can you want ?

It has it all, one of the best movies of the 80´s.