leplatypus The first surprise that pleased me with this movie is that it shows why Ireland is called the green island ! It's really incredible to see how the soil looks like a gigantic green carpet. The second good surprise is too see that Brian Cox is a terrific actor. I don't remember to have seen him in my previous 840 movies and he's really good ! For sure, I can also praise Frances but there, it's not a surprise since « Mississippi burning ». The definitive surprise of this really good movie is its message. At first, I understood it was about the troubles of Ireland and how England tried to answer by brutality. But then, the movie takes a sharp turn and becomes a study about modern democracy. And if the movies punches hard, a quarter of century later, its analysis rings even more true : it says that democracy is a fake front : power doesn't belong to the sovereign people but to a leech privileged cast that just crave for status quo. Their fake democratic tool is called « public order », « national security » and their fake scapegoat are called « terrorist », « demonstrator »… Their cunning is so acute that they manipulate / help those undemocratic adversaries to achieve unbelievable, fantastic mess. Then, to save the day and keeping the status quo, they can justify their drastic measures. Indeed this hidden agenda is clearly demonstrated in the movie and in every national tragedy since ! In a way, this movie can help to open the eyes and it should be shown in classes to have aware citizens !

Matthew Kresal Hidden Agenda has long been on my list of films to see. As a fan of the political thriller genre I was intrigued by its premise. Now, having finally found it and had the opportunity to see it I was presently surprised. The film surpassed my expectations and easily ranks amongst the best political thrillers I've seen.The performances are the staring point of this phenomenal film. Frances McDormand gives a marvelous performance as American civil rights activist Ingrid Jessner as Brian Cox as Kerrigan, the top investigator investigating the death of Jessner's boyfriend. The result is that, together and separately, they give two highly watchable performances that keep your attention focused on the screen. There's also the supporting cast including Brad Dourif as the murdered boyfriend, Maurice Roëves as the mysterious army officer Harris who has all the secrets plus Bernard Archard and Patrick Kavanagh as two politicians at the heart of the film's conspiracy.The film is, if nothing else, a conspiracy thriller. What may seem like an odd murder in Northern Ireland soon turns out to be mired in the politics of Thatcher era Britain. The film, while fictional, seems to be far too real for comfort. Writer Jim Allen has crafted a thriller that blends fact and fiction together and so well that the fine line between the two is blurred when it comes to the issues of 1980's Northern Ireland, how Thatcher got herself elected and how governments deal with terrorism. Of even greater surprise is that the plot doesn't overwhelm the dialogue. Unlike some political thrillers, in this film scenes come alive not just from the performances of the actors but from the words on the pages themselves. While it deals with 1980's Northern Ireland one can't help but see the relevant issues ever present in the film nearly twenty years on.On top of the script there's the documentary like approach that makes the film too realistic for comfort. Clive Tickner's cinematography is the main reason this succeeds so well in that it never feels like a Hollywood film. The result is that (thankfully) one gets the feeling of being a fly on the wall for many of the scenes which makes the blurring of fact and fiction even more successful. Add on the realistic costume and production design along with the tight editing of Jonathon Morris and the result is an all too realistic thriller.Hidden Agenda is what a political thriller should be. With its combination of fantastic performances, well written script, its realistic design work and especially its documentary like cinematography make it too realistic to be ignored. While it may deal with 1980's Britain in Northern Ireland it's a thriller with a message too strong to be ignored. It's a first rate and a must see for fans of the genre of the political thriller.

revtg1-2 The British anti-terrorist police assassinate a well known member of the Irish resistance in order to blame it on members of his own organization to create an internal fight. But they also kill an American journalist who is along for the ride. Now, more than ever, they need to blame the IRA. An investigator is sent from London to "find out the truth." Unfortunately for him he is an honest cop who wrongly believes he bosses really do want him to find the truth. When he gets close he is warned to back off. He refuses and the same people out to destroy the IRA set out to destroy him. Too late he learns pawns are not allowed to have the courage of their convictions.

Euromutt "Hidden Agenda" deals with the (rather clumsy) murder in Northern Ireland by British security forces of an American lawyer (Dourif) working for an civil liberties NGO, and the subsequent efforts of his girlfriend and co-worker (McDormand) and a high-ranking British police officer (Cox) who is assigned to investigate the incident to uncover what happened and why. It's certainly no secret that the British security forces overstepped the bounds of their authority on numerous occasions in Northern Ireland, and had the makers of the film concentrated in that, this could have been a fine political thriller.Unfortunately, the team of writer Allen and director Loach lay it on way too thick as McDormand and Cox's characters uncover a conspiracy on the part of the Tory party and the British military-industrial complex to undermine the Labour party and bring Thatcher to power. This, of course, takes place at the instructions of the CIA (gasp!), and heavy-handed parallels to the 1973 coup against Allende in Chile (long one of Loach's hobbyhorses) are thrown in to drive the point home.Once this less-than-hidden agenda on the part of the filmmakers becomes apparent, the remainder of the film becomes thoroughly predictable, and the viewer is struck by how forced and unrealistic much of the dialogue is, and all the talent of the cast cannot rescue it from becoming an annoyance. In conclusion, I can only recommend this film if you want to see an example of why Ken Loach is vastly overrated.