Hide in Plain Sight

A promising subject for James Caan's directorial debut: the true story of a divorced Buffalo factory-worker who finds that his two children have disappeared because their stepfather has been given a new, secret identity by the government after testifying against underworld associates. But as a director, Caan's sense of mood and construction proves desperately uncertain, with the result that the film uneasily mixes suspense thriller elements in with its more realistic study of a blue collar worker up against civil authority; and his own mannered portrayal of the inarticulate, fiery hero with a heart of gold is frequently hard to take.