&Hide and Seek& is billed as a psychological thriller, but it more closely resembles psychological torture.

Robert De Niro stars as David Callaway, a psychologist whose daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) makes a new &imaginary& friend named Charlie following the sudden death of her mother.

As the games that Emily and Charlie play become increasingly dark and sadistic, Callaway can&t help but wonder if Charlie is more than an imaginary friend.

This movie will give you the jitters if it doesn&t put you to sleep first. Solid performances and excellent casting are marred by a script that seems sluggish at times.

The first half of the movie gives the impression that something is going to happen, but not until the audience is dragged through redundancies that could have easily made way for something more interesting. The suspense eventually kicks in as the story works its way toward a twisted ending that doesn&t quite make up for the slow pace of the rest of the film.

De Niro&s performance is good, though not his best. Ten-year-old Fanning acts circles around him. Famke Janssen is impressive in her supporting role as Katherine, Emily&s psychologist. Elizabeth Shue gives an excellent performance, as well.

The movie isn&t entirely disappointing, except where the hype surrounding its release is concerned. Fans of De Niro should check it out.