Hidden Agenda

I caught this little baby on TV the other night, sweet jesus I didn't expcet it to be good. There it was late at night, in a slot usually reserved for films whihc have Lorenzo Lamas in them or the director is credited as Alan Smithee or Cecil B. Demented.

As soon as Dolph Lundgrens name popped up I nearly switched off immediately, as my mind suddenly wondered to films he has appeared, such classics as Last Warrior and Agent Red. The TV guide gave it a fairly good write up, saying it was pretty decent, but very confusing. What they found confusing I don't know. That is a problem with a thriller like this, if it hasn't got big names behind it, or is starring some high profile star, then people don't concentrate fully when watching. Look at all those people who found the Matrix really hard to follow, they thought little of the idea of Keanu Reeves doing sci-fi and didn't give the film their undivided attention, and actually listened and watched, the same with this film. If you see the name Dolph Lundgren and thriller in the same sentance in a straight to videoer most reviewers will be browsing through magazines and popping their head up at intermissions to watch the butt kicking.

This isn't exactly original or even exceptionally written in any way, but it follows the rules of good thrillers, the twisting plot, the shady characters, deliberate confusing elements early on to add a sense of mystery. The action was okay but there could have been more, they were pretty short really. I did like Lundgren in this, he is actually playing an interesting person, not just big lump number one.

There are a lot better, and with some actual money put into them, but there a lot more worse thrillers than this, I enjoyed it. $$$/$$$$

The biggest effect this film had on me was the element of surprise at watching a Dolph Lundgren film where he doesn't possess a weapon bigger than his arm! Instead, what we see here is a more subtle Dolph, drinking champagne and smoking fine cigars.

After Johnny Mnemonic, almost every single Lundgren film has centred around him and in this effort, he proves a worthy centre piece. I've always liked Dolph, but understand his critics as he has been massively typecast. I advise his doubters to see Hidden Agenda as he gives an understated (by his standards) performance and is charismatic and charming enough to pose as a smooth operating entrepreneur. As expected, in the action scenes, Dolph is brilliant and will keep his hardcore fans happy. Support is adequate. Maxim Roy as the love interest is sexy and puts in a good performance. The supporting cast is unspectacular and simply take a backward stance to allow Lundgren to perform.

The plot is also a surprise as it is intelligent and builds up an atmosphere. When I say intelligent, I'm not talking Oldboy, Eternal Sunshine or The Abyss, but that it is not just a case of blowing stuff up. The plot has fairly predictable twists and turns but they are entertaining enough. The methodology of the identification programs is very interesting and the conspiracy theories do well to keep the audience engaged to the end.

A likable film with a surprising Lundgren in the thick of it, Hidden Agenda is a slightly above average film that is good at killing an hour and a half!

The movie has a very mysterious twist to it. You don't know who is good and who is bad, along with surprising scenes that you won't believe are possible to occur. The movie is exciting and incredible. The movie includes two hot chicks, and other scenes that'll make you say "wow, how did that happen?" I recommend the movie to mystery and action fans.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

If you're an avid action fan,you'd have to have been living on planet Mars for about the past month and a half not to have heard newspaper rumours that apparently Dolph Lundgren,our favourite DTV action star,is quitting acting for 20 years.

If this abhorrent rumour is proved to be true (and pray to God it isn't!) ,then HA is a fine movie to depart on.

The plot is basically a spin on Arnold Schwarzenegger's Eraser,with Dolph as Witness Protection Agent Justin Price,who must put a face to a mystery assasin who's bumping off his people.It is truly as hard-to-follow as M:I-2,and way too jumbled for a movie of this sort.

The action scenes,however,are brilliant,working on both the fight scenes,the gunfights and the explosions.This delivers the goods Dolph fans have ordered with their rental fare,and the Swedish man will always be the king of DTV action movies,no matter what the outcome.

Speaking of the fans,don't let his previous film Agent Red put you off from seeing another movie with him in it,let's just say this is a much more,er,PROFESSIONAL effort.***

I expected nothing from this straight to DVD thriller , especially remembering how painful were Lundgren earlier thriller efforts "Cover up" and "Jill ripps". I was somewhat pleasantly surprised . I've got something. One should not mistake "Hidden agenda" with a great movie , but it's reasonably entertaining time waster for a B-movie.

The plot seems to be inspired by the movie "Eraser" , however unlike Schwarzenegger movie it focuses more on the story than action set pieces (maybe because of the low budget) . This is techno thriller with only some action scenes here and there. Average action junkie might be disappointed. The movie actually feels realistic , something like this could happen in real life and that's a big plus for me.

The plot is fairly intelligent. The movie does make sense but it's unfortunately a little bit hard to follow . The main plot twist was too obvious and at the end the story gets muddled. This is one of those films where you can't tell the bad people from the good, so everyone is suspect. It kinda feels like there are too many characters in this movie. At the end not everything feels resolved and not every character motivations are clear. Big minus for that.

Lundgren gives a fine performance. It must have been a treat for him to play smart and classy guy , not muscle man. He gives his character Jason Price enough charm and intelligence to make audience care for him. Maxim Roy is very hot as the femme fatale and gives a okay performance. The rest of the cast is not bad , but nothing to write home about.

Director Marc S. Grenier obviously works on limited budget , but somehow manages to give this movie a certain atmosphere (the snow keeps falling all the time , the shots of city traffic are sped up ). Sadly , he fails when it comes to action scenes. The opening chase at the airport is decent , but things go downhill from there. The action scenes are badly "Matrix" stylized and the camera work is too shaky. The final gun battle is also poorly staged. In the end the action is below average.

The music is pretty cool . It's a quite catchy electronic score . The few CGI effects look like taken from 90's movie. The dialogues are decent.

Anyway , for a B-movie it does what it promises - provides harmless entertainment for one night. Compared to some other Lundgren movies (especially the rest of his DTV stuff) "Hidden agenda" is a quality movie. It remains one of Lundgren's better movies in quite awhile. I give it 4/10. Maybe I'm too harsh , if you're a Lundgren fan , give it one star more.