The Hide

A well crafted film that some may consider should be in play format tosh!!! not everyone can afford theatre prices.A well acted piece, with a good wordy script. The direction was atmospheric without cheap Hollywood shocks and gimmicks.This is the kind of film that goes back to British early film making. The actors selected for this film were well cast,i think this is well demonstrated in the speed the film was made both in studio and on set and the faultless performances produced.The camera work was excellent in picking the smallest of gestures IE Roy tunt's occasional pushing his glasses up the bridge of the nose added to the characters obsessional behaviour.The ending was well played out without over egging the pudding.A film that should be seen more than once to truly appreciate it.

Roy, a somewhat retentive middle-aged loser, hunkers down in the eponymous hide --a birdwatching shed on the marshes -- apparently hoping to spot the one rare bird that has eluded him so far. Into his little haven comes lurching Dave, a towering, laconic figure with a secret. The two men warily circle each other as their respective pasts slowly unspool.

This is a wonderfully low-key little film with a wonderfully simple set-up that slowly but surely ratchets up the suspense as it goes along. What powers it so beautifully is the acting, which is just stunning. Phil Campbell, new to me, at first exudes weary menace which gradually gives way to a greater sadness, and Alex MacQueen, as Roy, deserves awards to be showered upon him for the performance he pulls off here. Better known for playing stuffy and/or supercilious characters on TV, here he plays Roy with a dweebishness and deadpan humour but keeps a deeper vein of underlying tension bubbling under before it erupts entirely. He manages to be both irritating, vulnerable, clueless, tragic and frightening all at the same time, and delivers some real laugh-out-loud moments amid the suspense.

Unfortunately, when the truth comes to the surface, the film begins to lose its power: The motives, once revealed, are outlandish and unconvincing and the film subsequently slips into the melodramatic. But, even then, the acting from both of them is never less than top-notch, the chemistry between them lights up the screen, and the finale, deftly delivered, stops the heart.

Saw this film on Filmfour one night and thought it was so good. It's got a really nice set up - a middle aged man with borderline OCD, who is waiting to see the last bird on his list. He is articulate and polite. He is joined by a rough, inner city northern guy, who looks a little banged up and dangerous. From here on is a tense game of back and forth with the power shifting between the two men as more layers are peeled away and they learn more about each other. The two actors command attention and are very engaging throughout. Marek Losey has delivered a tight, well paced and taught thriller which uses it's claustrophobic environment well to create a nervous watch.

When Sandra left him, he slept under his model railway; the bedroom held too many memories. Now Roy Tunt ("not a twitcher, an ornithologist") is holed up in his hide, binoculars in one hand, chicken-paste sandwiches in the other, waiting to tick off a sighting of the elusive Sociable Plover, a bird that hides among others. When a mysterious stranger (Campbell) shows up, with a tattooed neck and a gun under his coat, everything changes.

The Hide is directed by Marek Losey, grandson of Joseph, purveyor of elegant, chilly, often bleakly funny psychodramas like The Servant. On this evidence, the fruit has barely tumbled from the bough. Reprising his role from the stageplay, MacQueen is especially brilliant as the fusty Tunt – something like a shaved real-ale drinker, with all the beer irrigated out of him. It's stagey, sure. But which also guarantees some exceptional characterisation and dialogue.

I watched this film tonight without any expectation and ended up very pleased by it.

It is different and eccentric, wonderfully atmospheric, a little slow to build, but delivers a splendid denouement.

It is certainly not a film for those who want pyrotechnics and prestidigitation.

It is dark, contains some excellent use of language, and some very funny (though admittedly obscurely so) moments.

The "twist" can be seen some little way off but that does not detract from the enjoyment of it and of the film - and the very best is saved for the very last piece of dialogue and really does drive the plot home. Sure I saw what was coming, but I didn't understand it to THAT extent.

In summary if you are WOWED/DULLED* by Hollywood's ever more SMART/CRASS* outpourings then this film IS CERTAINLY NOT/MOST CERTAINLY IS* for you.

* delete as appropriate.