It's no coincidence that the three great British realist directors from the '80s (Loach, Clarke, Leigh) all made a film set in Northern Ireland. Following the political thriller template Hidden Agenda tells the investigation of a shoot-to-kill policy only to uncover an even greater secret involving the deliberate fall of the Labour government in Britain. Of course most of it is fiction but it's great fun following the story. Strange that the most sinister scene in set on O'Connell Bridge in Dublin? Also interesting is the visit to a bar where not all republicans support the IRA! There are some interesting and sleazy characters in this film and it made a good point about there being two laws in the North.
