After the Cuban ambassador to the United States is assassinated, the CIA worries that someone is trying to create trouble between the USA and Cuba.  With another Cuban-American summit due to be held in Prague, CIA Agent Dolph Lundgren is sent to arrest the assassin and bring her back to America to be tried before she can cause anymore trouble.  The CIA claims that the assassin is a sniper-turned-club owner named Simone (Maruschka Detmers) but, once it becomes obvious that whoever wants to keep her from going to America want to not only kill him but also her as well, Dolph starts to suspect that there’s a bigger conspiracy at work.

Hidden Assassin was the last feature film to directed by Ted Kotcheff and, while it’s definitely a direct-to-video action flick, it’s still a cut above similar films that were being released at the time.  Not surprisingly, the director of First Blood and Uncommon Valor knew how to shoot action films but he also did a good job directing the actors and everyone gives it their all in this film.  Amongst the lower-tier action films of the 90s, Dolph Lundgren was always a better actor than Van Damme and he also more likable than Seagal.  (Of course, a rabid bobcat is more likable than Steven Seagal.)  Lundgren is at his best here, believable as both an action star and a spy.  John Ashton of Beverly Hills Cop fame plays his partner and Gavan O’Herlihy plays his superior.  They’re both pros who know exactly how to handle the material.

Hidden Assassin has some plot holes, the least of which anyone would go through that much trouble to sour relations between America and Cuba.  America and Cuba haven’t gotten along for a very long time.  Still, the movie makes great use of Prague as a location and Lundgren is characteristically strong as the film’s hero.  There’s even some moments of deliberate humor that work surprisingly well.  Lundgren and Kotcheff were a killer combination and it’s too bad they didn’t do more movies together.