The Shooter - Ein Leben für den Tod

Hidden Assassin (its proper name is The Shooter) is not just another mindless Dolph Lundgren actioner. It's a fairly well-plotted and exciting political thriller with some fine acting and great action sequences. But the real best thing about this movie is the setting. Filmed on location in Prague, the film looks beautiful and often stunning. Dolph plays a US Marshall (surprise, surprise) who is sent to Prague to find the assassin who killed the Cuban ambassador. Detmers is a beautiful bisexual assassin who Dolph gets caught up with, and before long the two of them are walking on dangerous ground while trying to stay alive the whole time. The suspense is always growing, as we never know who the killer is, wondering if it's Dolph's boss or even Detmers herself... I really like this movie. It's entertaining to watch and full of twists and surprises. Overall, I would probably recommend this one over some of Dolph's most well-known movies (Red Scorpion, Universal Soldier). Though without it's share of plot-holes, this remains a fun and very enjoyable romp.

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.

I quite like watching Dolph Lundgren movies that are high on atmosphere. One of my favourite movies is Silent Trigger, which is just gorgeously shot. So I read reviews of this one as being also beautiful, and there's sniping in the movie too, so I went with it.

I'm not going to make a huge fuss and tell you that the movie is Barry Lyndon, but it really is purty. I'll get to that after a brief round up of the plot.

So the Dolphage here is US Marshal Michael Dane, who has been sent abroad to kidnap Simone Rosset (Maruschka Detmers), a sniper who is accused of assassinating a Cuban official in New York, and bring her to trial. I don't quite know how controversial such an extra-jurisdictional kidnapping is, there are documented cases of the US doing it, but I wouldn't have thought the US Marshal service would have been employed. It's morally wrong, as Rosset says in the movie, if the Czechs abducted a US citizen from Pittsburgh for trial in the Czech Republic, that would be a huge international incident.

Thing is she may not even have done it, and Dane (like Waxman in Silent Trigger) has a troubled conscience. Rosset has been in retirement for at least a decade and is now running a restaurant in Prague with her lover Marta (Assumpta Serna), their world is not just a little intoxicating to Dane. You get a sense, when he sees Simone's expressive dancing in a lesbian night club, that it's an image that will be engraved into his mind for the rest of his days. Assumpta Serna's presence is welcome, she's an unbelievable sauce who actually appears to have more sexual power 10 years later in the Quay Brothers' superb movie PianoTuner of Earthquakes at the age of nearly 50.

Purty places include the fabulous Czech restaurant, which I suspect is probably a little more touristy than the movie suggests (you can see Alphonse Mucha designs on the backs of the menus - famous artist of Prague). There's also a lovely wine cellar, and Marta's flat is quite beautiful. Something I harp on about a lot is the transformative quality of interior design in movies, it really does help if you have good diegetic lighting and plush dream apartments in movies. Marta has candles a plenty, cushions on the floor to lounge on, and lovely greenery everywhere, cheese plants, mimosa, and the like. Marta and Simone, one gets the impression, are experts at living.

Although others have said that the special effects are not all that, I think there's a couple of pretty cool ones, take the leap to the metro car for example. It's true that the movie is a cheapie compared with modern stuff, but I don't think a few cases of movie explosives were going to make this one better.

The plot is fairly much all over the place, and the Cuban officials in the movie a big annoyance, the fact that Dolph is basically the adopted son of one of the spooks comes off as pretty silly, as does the major plot twist. Despite what is also a fairly ludicrous ending, there are very cool parts to the script, such as the observation by Alex (the adoptive father), that the only time self-doubt is useful is when you're playing Hamlet on stage. There's also a kind of strange beauty to the fights between Dolph and Simone, in that he's more than twice her size, and yet she has enough nouse to make them last out.

The lasting value is in the film's aesthetics, and the haunting of Dane, as well as the occasional fairly cool special effect. It joins my list of flawed but very purty and lovable movies that were made during my childhood, alongside the likes of Albert Pyun's Cyborg, and Wes Craven's Shocker.

Though this film would be classed as mediocre by most, I rate this movie fairly high. The scenery is fantastic, the soundtrack is interesting with its combination of suspense and smooth jazz, and with Dolph Lundgren side-kicked with John Ashton you get a smooth, even dose of action, adventure and comedy.

Though the movie does seem slow at times, and you tend to forget the characters names or the reason why Dolph is actually there in the first place, the movie does provide decent suspense and action throughout.

I didn't like the fact that Dolph's main wound (his arm) was self-inflicted and rather, well... pointless. However, the rooftop-gunfight scene (end) and the part where Dolph takes out a sniper with a handgun are simply a must see! (Believable? It is within Dolph's power, ha-ha!)

The ending is simply awesome. Enough said.

This movie is fantastic, you'll either rate it as a masterpiece or just a decent, action flick; but nothing lower.

Although this film is not interesting for its acting or its story line, you must see it (even with the sound off) if only for the absolutely gorgeous set design, lighting design, and cinematography, which combine to make this film an eye-popping piece of eye candy. It helps that the filmmakers had the beautiful old city of Prague to film in, with its rich architectural history, romantic interiors, cobblestone streets, etc. I wanted to print out almost every scene in the film and then frame them for my walls, so gorgeous were almost all the frames of film. Try it for this! You'll love it!