Executscan Expected more

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

adonis98-743-186503 A CIA agent gets caught up in political intrigue after he gets brought in to solve the murder of a Cuban ambassador. Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, The Expendables) and Josh Ashton (Beverly Hills Cop, Bevery Hills Cop II) star in this disappointing and forgettable 90's film that even the best actors and directors in the world could not possibly have saved. Sure the leads are pretty good but the story as a whole is half cooked and the movie drags alot in certain moments. Definitely not one of Dolph Lundgren's best 90's films or best films in general... (5.0/10)

The_Phantom_Projectionist I feel bad writing this review, since my far-from-perfect rating mostly reflects my disappointment in having expected a different kind of movie. Honestly, HIDDEN AGENDA is a pretty good film from Dolph Lundgren's early DTV career...if you're looking for a spy thriller. The film is directed by the maker of FIRST BLOOD and co-written by one of the scribes behind STATE OF PLAY. Contained within a low-budget sphere, the quality is there, but it just doesn't deliver the kind of thrills I want to see from the Swedish Superman. This is definitely a movie you'll have to check out for yourself to get the full gist of it, unless you're looking for a genuine action film like me - then you can save your money.The story: CIA agent Michael Dane (Lundgren) is assigned to apprehend the prime suspect in an ambassador's murder (Maruschka Detmers) in Prague and bring her to America, not knowing that he's about to be thrown into a web political intrigue and treachery.Considering that the film was made for a slim $7 million and as a cooperative effort among five countries, it looks admirably good. There's one embarrassing instance early in the picture where the filmmakers had to fudge a laser pointer, but otherwise, director Ted Kotcheff's capabilities shine through - not only by successfully filming scenes you wouldn't expect to find in a cheap film, but also by making the East European filming location fun to look at. Authentic Czech is spoken throughout, which is pretty nice, and the film maintains a sense of gravity and importance that'd be exceedingly rare in Lundgren's subsequent career.The movie isn't completely without good action. There's even a segment I particularly like, wherein Lundgren has a shootout with a sniper while clinging to the ledge of a tall building. However, the problem is that very little of the action is the kind that I like. It's almost all shootouts and car chases, which leaves exceedingly little room for martial arts. Lundgren once claimed to have injured himself before he could complete all of the scenes, which might explain the lack of more hand-to-hand action, but it's still disappointing. Additionally, however good the writing might detail the progression of the whodunit-style mystery, I have to take it to point for its truly forced romance between our two leads. Apparently Dolph's charms are so great in this picture that not even a lesbian character can withstand him.For most fans, I'd imagine the movie is at least worth a look, unless you're on the same page as me and would miss the almost-nonexistent fisticuffs.

JoeytheBrit Dolph Lundgren in a murkily-lit modestly-budgeted Co-European production, I have to say, is not a prospect to get the average moviegoer's pulse racing; Dolph is the poor man's Arnie – not, as it turns out, because of acting ability or screen presence, but simply because Arnie came first. Nevertheless, that's the way it is for poor old Dolph, so throughout the 90s all he seemed to get were the scraps that fell from Arnie's table. This one isn't as bad as you might expect. It isn't good either, but it's serviceable.It certainly improves on a weak first ten minutes that are hampered by some lousy lighting and even lousier acting from the likes of Gavan O'Herlihy who chews scenery like a man with indigestion who doesn't wish to appear impolite. Dolph is Michael Dane, a US Marshal on the hunt for Simone Rosset (Maruschka Detmers) a shapely assassin suspected of doing a Frank Sinatra and coming out of retirement to off a Cuban ambassador. Rosset, however, pleads her innocence, and Dane uncovers doings of the murky variety when he investigates a little further.Detmers is an actress new to me, but she adds a touch of class to an otherwise pedestrian action movie. Her character is obviously modelled on Nikita, but Simone is a part-time lesbian with a taste for good wine and a knack for jumping off high places. Detmers gives the impression she is slumming – that's how classy she is. Lundgren gives a decent enough performance too, but the story lets them both down in crucial areas. Dane is just a little too dim, even for a Marshal. He uses a tactic of self-mutilation instead of surveillance, stages a car chase which nearly ends up with him and his passenger being squashed between two tram cars simply because he wants to drive rather than be driven, and shoots indiscriminately into a moving train. On the plus side, the story does at least try to be a little different from the countless other mid-budget efforts out there, adding an unexpected twist that is well-timed and effective, and making use of some terrific Prague location work.This one is for those times when you really don't want to think about what you are watching; it's for when you want the film to do all the work and lay everything out for you without inserting any sly subtexts, etc. The action set-pieces are a little workmanlike – the budgets restricts them to a couple of car chases and a lot of gunfights – but one, carried out on the rooftops of Prague, is pretty cool.No-one sitting down to watch a film like this should be doing so with high expectations, so it follows then that no-one should be disappointed

Thomas Jolliffe (supertom-3) As a Dolph Lundgren fan this film goes down as one of my prefered viewings. I do like a good thriller, with some plot twists and tension. This film has those but to a mild degree, your not going to get really excited at this compared to something like Mission Impoosble with its high production and A-list cast but for a B-movie this is a good film that is surprising in places and reasonably well written.Dolph plays Michael Dane, who is working with the FBI to try to capture a known assasin played by the sexy Maruschka Detmers. Dane does not beleive she killed the Cuban Ambassador, but he still has to bring her into custody in the build up to a summit between the US and Cuba to try to get the two country's to shake and make up if you like. The plot at times raises questions that many action thrillers do, for instance why are they doing that? one particular example is the inclusion of Dolphs character, he is flown in from New York to Prague simply to arrest this Woman, why on Earth she wasn't brought in before is beyond me, especially considering that her whereabouts were known. A lot doesn't make sense but those minor quibbles aside, the film is nicely paced and is enjoyable.The acting is good, Dolph is assured and puts in one of his better performances, he has great chemistry with the excellent Maruschka who in turn also shows great chemistry with Assumpta Serna who plays Marta the possible lover of Simone. That is another mystery of the film, the sexual preference of Simone (Detmers) this does kind of undermine the development of a relationship between Dolph and Maruschkas characters. Also good is John Ashton as a bit of comic support as Danes Foster father and aid in the hunt for Simone.Furthermore, the action scenes. They are not overly stylish but are exciting, Dolph is in prime condition to dish out a battering and there is some good gun play included as well. Particular standout scenes are the capturing of Simone, and her subsequant escape. Also later in the film when Dolph rescues Simones character and just after when they both escape. The end is good to with the music helping to really build everything to a climactic crescendo.Overall this is a fairly decent thriller, with some nice lighting in the dark shots, and some nice and suitably dank locations. Dolph and Maruschka have a great chemistry, and the twists in the film are good. I would give this a 7/10