Hidden City *** (1987, Charles Dance, Cassie Stuart, Bill Paterson) – Classic Movie Review 9747

Smoothie Charles Dance stars in Stephen Poliakoff’s first cinema film as writer-director, the 1987 British mystery thriller Hidden City, which is set round a south London building used as an interrogation centre in World War Two.

There is an effectively creepy John le Carré-ish thriller plot with James Richards (Charles Dance) and Sharon Newton (Cassie Stuart) on the trail of wartime Government Information archive films and a government surveillance secret, but Poliakoff’s main success is in turning everyday London locations into Orwellian nightmares.

Hidden City is tantalising and classy, though a bit elusive, and sometimes you just wish Poliakoff would do a straight thriller without the message.

Also in the cast are Bill Paterson, Richard E Grant, Alex Norton, Tusse Silberg, Richard Ireson, Saul Jephcott, and Michael Müller.

Hidden City is directed by Stephen Poliakoff, runs 107 minutes, is made by Hidden City Films and Channel Four Films, released by Film Four (UK) and The Other Cinema (1988) (US), is written by Stephen Poliakoff, is shot by Witold Stok, is produced by Irving Teitelbaum and is scored by Michael Storey.

Stephen Poliakoff: ‘I can come across as arrogant’.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9747

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