Hide and Seek (2005)

★★½
Robert De Niro is once again at the center of mysterious circumstances, which could be undone by a simple revelation that asks us to rethink everything in the film and reassemble it to form a new picture. The actor took part in the best twist ending I've ever seen, in Alan Parker's bloody Angel Heart, and here he is again to participate in another mind-boggler, only this time he's at the receiving end. His daughter, played by Dakota Fanning, has an imaginary friend named Charlie, who is responsible for the poltergeist-style haunting of his new home.

For most of the film, Charlie is an ambiguous character, unseen most of the time, yet able to appear at will to threaten bystanders. He makes his presence felt when the Callaways move to a quiet town, away from the horrible memories of Mrs. Callaway's suicide in New York City. Little Emily (Fanning) wanders into a cave and seemingly walks out with an uninvited guest. Dr. Callaway (De Niro) and family psychiatrist Katherine (Famke Janssen) figure that her new imaginary friend is her way of dealing with her mother's death. Still, when unexplainable events happen, Dr. Callaway begins to see Charlie as more of a threat.

Dr. Callaway tries to move on with his life by meeting Elizabeth (Elisabeth Shue). Charlie doesn't like her. He sees her involvement as a lame attempt by Dr. Callaway to replace his wife. Charlie's anger becomes more threatening. His actions against the Callaways start off as puzzling, such as suggesting naughty ideas to Emily. However, a late-night occurrence in the bathroom—a recreation of the suicide scene—shows how Charlie's actions are becoming more dangerous. Dr. Callaway is still at a loss to understand who he is, but a suspicious neighbor (Robert John Burke) might have the answers.

Most of the film is a decent setup of the Callaway dilemma. The father's concern for his daughter is handled with utmost care, and Katherine's advice on how to handle this imaginary friend sounds sensible. However, the finale falls apart and nearly ruins the first two acts, but luckily it isn't long enough to do much damage. A generic use of misdirection is obvious in that it forces us to suspect an innocent who is clearly on hand for the sole purpose of distracting us. However, the revelation itself is in keeping with events previously established, so it's really a matter of execution rather than a flawed story that collapses the end.

At first, Hide and Seek looks like another attempt to take a child actor and put him in a story that might be too intense to make it believable. I'm thinking of the failed The Good Son, with its evil Macaulay Culkin committing a number of atrocious acts. That's not the case here. While Fanning's character has a few ordeals to endure, the material is worthy of her inclusion. For the most part, the movie has its head in the right place.

© 2005 Silver Screen Reviews