Hidden Away (2013)

Thanks for the memories!

Simply Perfect

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Oh, I did want to like this movie. It didn't matter that it's derivative of "Sleeping with the Enemy," right down to the abandoned abuser finding proof of his "dead" wife's deception that she conveniently--no, foolishly--left behind. (Honestly, if you're going to fake your own death, wouldn't it occur to you to hide all paperwork pertaining to the faking of your own death?) Most people who watch this film are probably drawn by its similarities to SWtE (with the added bonus of a child!)The wife's leaving of damning evidence was only the first of her foolish mistakes, though (if you don't count marrying the crazy man in the first place. Let's assume that some men are good at hiding their abusive tendencies). Her biggest goof is that, after faking her death, she goes into a business (realty) which she advertises by plastering pictures of her face all over advertisements and billboards? I don't appreciate movies with stupid heroines, which made it hard for me to truly like this one. Yes, she's the underdog. And she's played as being smart and tough. But some of her decisions discredited her. It was also hard to believe that her husband would be so obsessed with her after ten years. That was my other problem with this film. The husband character is so very evil, to the point where he's not only coming after his wife; he's coming after her friends as well! It almost feels like a twisted wish-fulfillment for women who mistake obsession for love--she's so great that he'll Never Get Over Her, and in the meantime, she'll have found another Wonderful Guy.I give this 5 points because I liked some of the actors, and the story certainly isn't slow. But unless you throw your suspension of disbelief out the window, you may wish this film had remained hidden away.

although mildly interesting, it had way too many loopholes. it simply lacked credibility. yeah, I know it is just a movie, but you still need plausibility in a story line.Perhaps the biggest thing is that they never demonstrated how she was able to cash in on the insurance money. did she send in a request and not have to appear in person? and why did the police conclude she was dead so quickly? had seven years passed? I don't know that 7 months passed.then at the end when he is chasing his ex and daughter, he does not grab the gun when it was right there? he forgot? come on! and finally, Emmanuelle Vaugier might have turned in the worst acting performance I have ever seen. when she should have shown fear, it looked like she was smirking, not overtly, but she was just way off the mark.

Typical Lifetime Network nonsense about the victimized woman with terribly poor taste who hopes that running away will solve her problems only to learn the hard way when she gets tracked down. In this shameless outing, we have Vaugier faking her and her daughter's death in an attempt to escape her physically abusive husband. Blah, blah, blah; same old routine: she gets a new life, her daughter grows up not remembering anything, she meets a nice guy (Flanery), the fairy tale ending is just a grasp away, and then all of a sudden the bad guy from the past (Sergei) shows up. This cookie-cutter garbage could be somewhat bearable if it didn't consist of melodrama triggered by acts that would otherwise be considered downright moronic if only the protagonists weren't so unlucky. Nice climax—apparently, any dimwit can be inspired by watching NORTH BY NORTHWEST in film class.*½ (out of four)

This was one of the best Lifetime thrillers I've ever seen! While it starts out like one of those familiar SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY-type stories where a woman flees an abusive ex-husband, this story doesn't stop moving for the full two hour running time.Emmanuelle Vaugier plays Stephanie, a young mother who fakes her own death (and her daughter's) in order to escape her abusive husband Andrew (Ivan Sergei). Many years later, Andrew stumbles upon incriminating evidence and realizes that his late wife, and most importantly, his beloved step daughter (Allie Gonino), is still alive. So he does what any kind, loving husband would do... he murders the detective (Thomas Calabro) he hired to track them down and then goes to Palm Springs to finish the job himself. What follows is a fast-paced cat and mouse game as Andrew, like a spider, weaves a web around his prey and slowly draws them in. In the process, he seduces her best friend (Elisabeth Rohm) and threatens to destroy her new relationship with a handsome museum director (Sean Patrick Flanery). It all culminates in an exciting chase and fight aboard the Palm Springs tramway with a big action sequence I've never seen in a movie like this before. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.Ivan Sergei is great as the twisted villain and really steals the show. I loved how he wasn't just a one-note baddie like the evil husbands in both SLEEPING THE ENEMY and ENOUGH. In fact, he almost makes you feel bad for him. But he really brings the crazy in a surprisingly subtle and nuanced performance. Emmanuelle plays to her strengths from shows like CSI NY and HUMAN TARGET as she basically becomes an action hero in the film's finale, and Sean Patrick Flanery plays the male eye candy but it was fun to see Young Indiana Jones and the Boondock Saint go against type... basically playing the damsel in distress.From its opening chase in the middle of a raging storm to a finale literally dangling hundreds of feet above Palm Springs... HIDDEN AWAY was an exciting thriller you can't miss.