review for Hidden Agenda on AllMovie

Hidden Agenda (2001)
by Buzz McClain review

The trouble with Hidden Agenda is the credits. Instead of John Le Carre as the writer, you have Les Weldon (his Replicant was better); instead of Manchurian Candidate-era John Frankenheimer, you have Marc S. Grenier; and instead of Clear and Present Danger-era Harrison Ford, you have Dolph Lundgren. And even with those corrections, it's a stretch to think that this convoluted spy saga -- which meanders around computer gobbledy gook, silly disguises, and inept moles -- would make much sense or come to a satisfying conclusion. Dolph does his best reciting lines that tangle around the plot like errant ivy, but the pace and plotting are so mishandled -- and the photography is so dark -- that the movie never gains momentum. And just when it does, there's the obligatory slow-mo sex scene set to soft music to put the brakes on. And don't think that freeze-frame-during-action-scenes editing trick is effective. Snatch this is not.