Product Details

• Actors: Dolph Lundgren, Maxim Roy, Brigitte Paquette, Ted Whittall, Serge Houde
• Format: PAL
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000649IP
• For more information about "Hidden Agenda" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "You know how screwed up the FBI is!", October 7, 2010

By 

Mike Sehorn "Rezo the Dezo" (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hidden Agenda (DVD)

"Hidden Agenda" was released during a time when star Dolph Lundgren was teasing retirement to spend more time with his family. While he obviously didn't quit show business, he did end up giving himself a two-year vacation during which fans had little more to celebrate than this troublesome little espionage thriller at the end of a thoroughly mixed body of work. While "Hidden Agenda" actually holds up promisingly against dreck that Lundgren had put out previously like Agent Red and Storm Catcher, it's good to know that at least now he'll have the chance to end his career on a more promising note than a movie that assumes confusing its audience is the same as being intelligent.

The story: Jason Price (Lundgren) is an ex-government agent who makes a living making endangered people disappear more completely than the Witness Protection Program, but when his flawless system is infiltrated by a hitman who starts taking out Price's clients and cohorts alike, he must work his way through his own network of associates to find where the leak occurred and who the killer is.

The summary you just read is the simplified version of the storyline: the movie is a complicated mess of half-truths, double-crosses, and other poorly-explained happenings that often do a poor job of amplifying what one scene has to do with the next or even what kind of relationships the characters have with eachother - I mean, I like Maxim Roy (ReGenesis), but why does Dolph take her along on his adventure halfway into the movie and then has sex with her? Who knows, but even if you are able to deduce the plot, the film's intent on keeping the audience puzzled rather than fleshing out these characters makes it thoroughly unengaging; you're a better person than me if you take the time to even learn the names of any of the poor saps running around.

And wouldn't you know it, there's not even a good helping of action scenes to reward us for sitting through all this head-scratching nonsense. Of the two shootouts and four hand-to-hand fights, only two of the latter sort are noteworthy...and only one so for actually being decent (Dolph's respectable karate fight alongside Roy is matched in notability only by the instance in which he's attacked by a fat man with a spear gun and fights back by throwing a mannequin). Even the competent moments - the ones not totally ruined by weak-looking blows and bad cinematography - are tarnished by frequent, annoying freeze-frame shots, a weird techno soundtrack, and the obvious presence of Lundgren's stunt double in more than a few cuts.

There are a few silly, attention-catching aspects to the film - like when Price dupes FBI agents in the beginning by leading them on a chase scene while wearing a bad wig - and the acting is roundly competent, but it's just not visually or substantially interesting enough to expect fans reared on Lundgren's serious action fare to be entertained by all this sneaking around. Luckily, this movie would largely signal the end of Dolph's high-nosed wannabe-smart movies: while junk like Detention wouldn't be in any state to impress, either, at least it was junk you could eat popcorn to.

3.0 out of 5 stars hidden nearly to the point of obscurity . . ., July 19, 2010

By 

trebe - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Hidden Agenda (DVD)

Displaying a little more sophistication than your average Dolph Lungren shoot 'em up, Hidden Agenda (2001) is an entertaining, but rather convoluted tale of intrigue, that features Lundgren as Jason Price, a former FBI agent turned restaurateur. Along with his team of associates, Price also works for the National Security Agency (NSA).

FBI agent Sonny Mathis (Ted Whittall), Price's childhood friend, has convinced syndicate bigwig Paul Elkert (Serge Houde) to testify for the Government, against Icarus, an underworld group. When a witness is assassinated in court, a mysterious figure known as "The Cleaner" is suspected of making the hit.

Elkert has millions stashed away, and with Icarus after him, he hires Price to protect him. Price directs Elkert through his elaborate network of "providers" known as "Daedalus", so he can disappear. Mathis fears that he is on the Cleaner's hit list, and also wants to vanish. Price sends Mathis through Daedalus, and is shocked when his friend is reported dead a few days later.

Price and his associates begin back checking, and discover a string of dead providers along the east coast. A lead turns up, when they find Renee Brooks (Maxim Roy), who claims to have been entrusted by Elkert with the key to his safe deposit box in Aruba, which supposedly contains a fortune. Things get more complicated as Price and Brooks follow up a lead in Boston, which eventually brings all the players together for a showdown in Montreal.

Hidden Agenda has a nebulous storyline seeped in secrecy, that takes a rather circuitous route where it is easy to fall off, and get lost on the way. Most of the action doesn't seem very realistic, and the fights are mostly by the numbers. Price's team is underused, and the government agents and criminals, seem like one dimensional props, or incompetent clowns. The big bad threat never materializes, and the supposed to be dramatic resolution, is unfortunately kind of silly.

Lundgren exhibits more personality than usual, but it is still hard to buy him as the happily ever after guy, he ends up as here. While not a great action film, Hidden Agenda is a more polished effort for Lundgren, and may be worth a look if you are a fan.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of dolphs best, April 26, 2003

By 

Brad Renzi "ironbremarbs48" (Plainfield, IL. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hidden Agenda (DVD)

To be clear this is definatly not dolphs best film, but it is nowhere near his worst. I would say its one of the better directed and produced movie he was in. His performance in the movie is probally in the top five of his career. The action scenes... Well they are very well staged and look real good. The director tried to make them resemble brotherhood of the wolf a little bit, and he didn't really succed. But the directors real weakness in the action was the gunfights. He did not stage them right and didn't do a job editing them. The real flaw of the movie was the last gunfight it was a major letdown. Still a solid movie with a some good action sequences 4 stars!!