Hide in Plain Sight *** (1980, James Caan, Jill Eikenberry, Robert Viharo, Kenneth McMillan, Danny Aiello, Joe Grifasi, Barbra Rae, Josef Sommer) – Classic Movie Review 11,409

James Caan makes his first movie as director with the 1980 real-life thriller Hide in Plain Sight.

Director James Caan’s 1980 real-life thriller Hide in Plain Sight is based on the novel by Leslie Waller, and stars James Caan, Jill Eikenberry, Robert Viharo, Kenneth McMillan, Danny Aiello, Joe Grifasi, Barbra Rae, and Josef Sommer.

Caan made a fairly successful first movie as director with this unusual real-life tale about divorced father Thomas Hacklin (played by Caan), a Buffalo, New York, blue-collar employee’s desperate hunt for his kids after his ex-wife Ruthie Hacklin (Barbra Rae) takes up with low-level hoodlum Jack Scolese (Robert Viharo), all of them vanished from plain sight, relocated on the US Federal Witness Protection Program.

Caan’s directing style is like his acting, simple, strong and serious-minded, and there is talented support acting, especially from Eikenberry as Alisa, McMillan as Sam Marzetta and Aiello as Sal Carvello, but also Robert Viharo as Jack Scolese, Barbra Rae as Ruthie Hacklin, Joe Grifasi as Matty Stanke and Josef Sommer as Jason R Reid.

The story is based on a case from the files of New York attorney Salvatore R Martoche who represented Tom Leonard, a real-life Buffalo, New York, victim who sued to regain contact with his children.

Hide in Plain Sight is written by Spencer Eastman.

It runs 92 minutes.

It was released on April 21, 1980.

Caan’s passion project took him two years. 

MGM executives overruled Caan’s idea to have no music and imposed a score by Leonard Rosenman.

It cost $6 million, and took less than $2 million in North America and $3,806,930 worldwide.

Also in the cast are Beatrice Winde as Unemployment Clerk, Andrew Gordon Fenwick as Andy Hacklin, Heather Bicknell as Junie Hacklin and David Clennon as Richard Fieldston.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,409

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