Hidden Agenda- Z movie

• The term 'Z movie' arose in the mid-1960's as an informal description of certain unequivocallt non-A films.
• It was soon adopted to characterize low- budget films with quality standards well below those of most B movies and even so-called C movies.
• Most films referred to as Z movies are made for very little money on the fringes of the organized film industry or entirely outside it.
• Modern day Z movies they are often characterized by 'violent, gory, and/or sexual content and a minimum of artistic interest, readily falling into the category of exploitation,' some of which are thought to be the worst films ever made.
• They usually use unproffessional/unknown actors and basic filming, lighting and editing as well as tending to have very small budgets which normally results in a poor script.
• Z movies also use 'politics' as a handy kind of cover up to pretend they're actually seriously dealing with a problem
• Hidden Agenda fits into the category of 'Z movies'or films in the tradition of Costa Gavras' political thriller Z.
• One of Hidden Agenda's major problems is that Loach does not examine the sociopolitical reasons for British domination of Northern Ireland, instead he just creates an interesting detective story with clear good guys and bad guys.
•  Z movies revive most of the Hollywood gimmicks in their glossing over of reality- the recourse to out-of-the ordinary heroes who are all put into extraordinary situations, contrivances of editing, pounding musical scores, and deliberate ideological fuzziness...' -Hennebelle (This applies to Hidden Agenda)

Reviews:

• As Britain emerged from the spell that Thatcher had put on it, i and perhaps some other filmmakers, felt very dissatisfied with ourselves. we felt we hadnt really put on the screen the appauling cost in human misery that aggressive Thatcherite politics had brought on everybody. We should have made films in the early 80's that really showed what was happening, but i know that i didnt. i think the last few years have been an attempt to remedy that' - Loach
• Loach not only challenged perceived conventions of the terrorist organisation bur attacked tha RUC as an out-of-control militia'
• It misrepresented the \British Army in Ireland as the forces of darkness and the IRA as a cheery bunch of folk singers, democrats and humanitarians' - Christopher Tookey Daily Mail
• The film combined the John Stalker and Colin Wallace affairs effectively enough to be described as The IRA entry at Cannes' by one Tory MP'- John Newsinger Socialism Journal
• Its made wih the flaggelatory ardour that Ken Loach brings to all his films, a hard edged realism pounded into the motar of cinema with naturalism' -Andrew L.Urban- Urban Cinefile
• Made in 1990, it feels and looks like its from 1980. Frannces McDormand is an especially snoozy disappointment in a woefully miscat role'- Christopher Null- Filmcritic.com
• Though it attempts to make an acceptable theatrical entertainment out of a complex political saga, Hidden Agenda lacks bigscreen impact' - Variety Staff

 

• ( All information from Wiki, Rottontomatoes.com, ejumpcut.org and Allmovie.com)