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Back in 1987 on T.V. at age 11 I kept seeing spots for "The Hidden". The ads would interview casual moviegoers as they exited the theater, and comments would range from "wild!" to "knock your socks off!".
I decided I had to see this film. I had never seen such conviction before.
When I finally was able to see it, it came as a rental from a convenience store (back when this was just starting to become a thing).
I had a strong case of butterflies, and made sure no one was around so I could give this picture my full attention.
What I saw was not at all what I expected. There was a very mellow mood about it. It had explosions, gunfire, gore, profanity, sexuality..everything an 11 year old would want in a movie they're not supposed to be watching. But it was different than what I thought it would be. It wasn't some shrouded sci-fi with other-worldly atmospherics as I had imagined it would be.
The Hidden was a light movie that I knew as soon as it finished, that I would have to see again and again. There were layers to it. It mixed comedy, suspense, science fiction and drama. It was like a tough cop picture with a style I latched on to immediately.
The beige Porsche 928, the gray fine tailored suits, the machined editing, strange colors of light laser beams that emitted a choral hum, glowing green matter around the title card, new wave punk music toted around by a gastro challenged middle aged grump. bad stripper with a gold jacket, bureaucratic daytime contrasted with Summer city night chases through a warehouse filled with mannequins. This movie was on fire with style and sophistication. And it was just a genre picture? If it was a B-movie, it was made like a Hollywood blockbuster that was closer to a Tony Scott or even a Martin Brest aesthetic than it was to a shoestring budget picture it got compared to.
Jack Sholder, the guy who did that Nightmare on Elm Street sequel directed this one. How did he do that? It was like a magic trick. Everything was tight and delivered with that after hour adult tone that I usually only saw when sneaking into the cellar to catch my Aunt and Uncle laughing it up to La Cage Aux Folles. But this wasn't a gay romp like Birds of a Feather or a Nightmare on Elm Street Part II were. This was a macho movie with a light touch. That's what made it interesting. A shoot em' up action thriller made with a boutique sensibility.
Bringing this all home is a music score by Michael Covertino who uses unconventional brass and percussive,stabbing sounds of music that taper back into a haunted refrain.
Like this...
To keep going with this review would only be tiresome at this point. Here are some shots I cap'd and found of the picture.
Back in 1987 on T.V. at age 11 I kept seeing spots for "The Hidden". The ads would interview casual moviegoers as they exited the theater, and comments would range from "wild!" to "knock your socks off!".
I decided I had to see this film. I had never seen such conviction before.
When I finally was able to see it, it came as a rental from a convenience store (back when this was just starting to become a thing).
I had a strong case of butterflies, and made sure no one was around so I could give this picture my full attention.
What I saw was not at all what I expected. There was a very mellow mood about it. It had explosions, gunfire, gore, profanity, sexuality..everything an 11 year old would want in a movie they're not supposed to be watching. But it was different than what I thought it would be. It wasn't some shrouded sci-fi with other-worldly atmospherics as I had imagined it would be.
The Hidden was a light movie that I knew as soon as it finished, that I would have to see again and again. There were layers to it. It mixed comedy, suspense, science fiction and drama. It was like a tough cop picture with a style I latched on to immediately.
The beige Porsche 928, the gray fine tailored suits, the machined editing, strange colors of light laser beams that emitted a choral hum, glowing green matter around the title card, new wave punk music toted around by a gastro challenged middle aged grump. bad stripper with a gold jacket, bureaucratic daytime contrasted with Summer city night chases through a warehouse filled with mannequins. This movie was on fire with style and sophistication. And it was just a genre picture? If it was a B-movie, it was made like a Hollywood blockbuster that was closer to a Tony Scott or even a Martin Brest aesthetic than it was to a shoestring budget picture it got compared to.
Jack Sholder, the guy who did that Nightmare on Elm Street sequel directed this one. How did he do that? It was like a magic trick. Everything was tight and delivered with that after hour adult tone that I usually only saw when sneaking into the cellar to catch my Aunt and Uncle laughing it up to La Cage Aux Folles. But this wasn't a gay romp like Birds of a Feather or a Nightmare on Elm Street Part II were. This was a macho movie with a light touch. That's what made it interesting. A shoot em' up action thriller made with a boutique sensibility.
Bringing this all home is a music score by Michael Covertino who uses unconventional brass and percussive,stabbing sounds of music that taper back into a haunted refrain.
Like this...
To keep going with this review would only be tiresome at this point. Here are some shots I cap'd and found of the picture.