Hidden Away (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews

Not Very Good

[Yvaughn · 5/10 · 12 October 2014]

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.

A Stolen Life

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 29 August 2013]

For dramatic visual purposes, abused wife Emmanuelle Vaugier (as Stephanie) takes her seven-year-old daughter and heads for the Canadian border in a small boat during the pouring rain while firefighter husband Ivan Sergei (as Andrew Bennett) is out buying some flowers. Probably, he wants to kiss and make-up after viciously throwing Ms. Vaugier around the house. Ten years later, Vaugier is a successful realtor in Palm Springs, CA. She stole another woman's identity and started over (as Alexandra Cole) by faking her death and cashing in on a $250,000 insurance policy. Vaugier is dating handsome art museum assistant director Sean Patrick Flanery (as Brett Collins) while making sure pretty teenage Allie Gonino (as Rachel) isn't out too late with boyfriends...

After finding his wife's box hidden in the attic while exterminating raccoons, Mr. Sergei finds evidence suggesting she and step-daughter are alive. Then, we're off to the races. "Hidden Away" is hard to take. For example, they ran into problems with the age of "Sage" if she were a teenager played by an actress past her teens. We're told she "blocked" unpleasantness, but it doesn't ring true. The best course would have been to make her younger, since her parents are a stretch at being ten years older. Sergei almost steals the show by offering a more believable performance than usual for the genre. Thomas Calabro and Elisabeth Rohm lend good support. Director Peter Sullivan does well in buildings, stretching players and shots along spacious horizontals, with depth.

***** Hidden Away (7/27/13) Peter Sullivan ~ Emmanuelle Vaugier, Ivan Sergei, Sean Patrick Flanery, Allie Gonino

So Much for New Beginnings!

[lavatch · 5/10 · 17 December 2020]

In Spokane, Stephanie Bennett and her young daughter Sage flee the clutches of the abusive Andrew Bennett. Ten years later, Stephanie is a successful realtor in Palm Springs with a new name, Alexandra Cole living with her teenage daughter Rachel. But when Andrew tracks down his wife and daughter, a melodramatic ordeal ensues that culminates in a confrontation in the Lost Salish Mine.

"Hidden Away" features one of our favorite actresses, Emmanuelle "Lifetime" Vaugier as Stephanie/Alexandra, a complex character, who is not entirely likeable. Stephanie committed fraud by collecting $250,000 in life insurance money after her death. In the film, it is never fully explained how she maneuvered the life insurance company to make the payout. There is also no indication she ever plans to return the money or attempt to make amends.

Another flaw in Stephanie's character is her reluctance to contact the police, once Andrew has discovered her in Palm Springs and is blackmailing her. By not contacting the authorities, Stephanie endangers the lives of her fiance Brett, a museum curator who is absolutely devoted to her. Even young Sage is at risk due to the hair-trigger temper of Andrew, who can be a sentimental sap one moment, then turn on a dime to become a monster.

Stephanie was blessed by having the realtor Lynn as a friend and colleague. As a realtor, Lynn gave Stephanie a job in her time of need, then mentored her as she learned the profession. Because of Stephanie's failure to alert the police, poor Lynn becomes collateral damage. Somehow, Lynn's death seems long forgotten by the characters in the film's denouement when Stephanie, Brett, and Sage are on a vacation debating whether they should go paragliding or snorkeling.

The film's climatic scene in the Lost Salish Mine and the mad scramble aboard the Palm Springs aerial tramway lapsed into the comedy as the bug-eyed Andrew is so out of control that even he is unclear whether he wants the $250,00 in cash or his pipedream of returning to a "normal" family life with him as the abuser.

Stephanie was proud of her ability to create "new beginnings" for her and her daughter. But, due to her own flawed character, the fresh start eventually became her nightmare.

Pooor writing..too many loopholes

[zonkerjohn · 2/10 · 29 December 2013]

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.

Too dry

[nightroses · 2/10 · 21 July 2021]

The story is very familiar and been done hundreds of times. An abused wife faking her death to start a new life with a new identity. Her husband find clues that she's still alive, and pays for an investigator to track her down. After the Private Eye located her, the ungrateful husband murders him and that was all. No comeback for this. And no justice for the woman who was murdered and all because abused wife was her friend. Abusive husband sleeps with a member of the hotel staff and later on she looks dead. Nothing was done about that. The abused wife has a daughter now a teenager who happens to be extremely gifted at history as a tour guide. There is so much cheese on this flick that it was mouldy.

Geeky Randy's summary

[Geeky Randy · 2/10 · 28 December 2013]

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)

So cheesy!

[bromeyn · 4/10 · 1 January 2021]

Watched the trailer thinking A) looks like a complete repeat of Enough with JLo; which while I'm a fan of hers, it was pretty cheesy itself, but was way better than this. I watched til the end but yelled at the tv exceeding as it was just ridiculous. Gave it a 4 because like a train wreck, you just had to stare. Watch it if you want a B grade movie to laugh at.

Hidden Away *** Since When Does Crime Pay?

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 17 August 2013]

A very good thriller which is hurt by the fact that at the end of the movie, committing fraud does actually pay despite what the end results are.

A mother and daughter fake their deaths to flee from the former's abusive husband. With his insurance money, they move to California and with great investments and becoming a Realtor, life becomes great for the two. The daughter was 7 when all this occurred.

Fast forward to 10 years later, the recently laid off guy discovers that they're not dead and follows them to California where the mayhem really begins. This guy is some mental case as he does away with the private investigator he had hired to track the two women and her fellow realty agent falls victim to him as well.

Yes, there are tense scenes. Yes, he is diabolical in wiring the house up so he can view what's going on at his computer; nonetheless, the fact that the fraud perpetrated by the wife goes unpunished at film's end is problematic to me.

One of the best Lifetime thrillers I've ever seen!

[tarynroarke · 9/10 · 9 August 2013]

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.