the hunt poster - movie review blog
“Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt.”
‘The hunt’ is based loosely upon Richard Connell’s 1924 short story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ which incidentally has spawned many other movies such as Jean Claude Van Damme’s ‘Hard Target’ .
Given it’s well documented troubled release it finally landed on March 13th straight into a world wide pandemic and perhaps overly high expectations - although having watched the trailer I was less interested, it seems, than most.
Opening on a charter flight we are briefly introduced to a series of one dimensional ‘Elites’ who are carrying a special cargo for their hunt. A heavy handed revenge on a bunch of so-called ‘deplorables’ - 12 one-note men and women - equally one dimensional as the elites. This opening scene already a misstep ultimately adding nothing of real value bar setting up a mystery that isn’t a mystery involving Hilary Swank’s character. Which is bizarrely spoiled in the trailer for the movie.
I would argue that it would have been better to open the movie on the 12 ‘deplorables’ waking up in a field, tied and gagged trying to figure out what is happening to them. But I guess that would mean you would have to imbue some character beyond stereotypes to the individuals which unfortunately is sorely missing. Instead they are cannon fodder killed, in some instances, without uttering a word to camera.
As a result the writing comes across as lazy and uninspired. Not funny or satirical enough trying too desperately to draw parallels between itself and animal farm. Although there are moments of dark comedy mostly within the first 30 minutes of the movie. It is left to Betty Gilpin to give the movie interest - she is the highlight of the movie for me and her performance is very good it’s just a shame the movie around her isn’t up to the same level.
Structurally, the movie felt very disjointed. Flashbacks happen at inappropriate moments and there is very little in the way of tension or suspense. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that I’ve seen so many other movies in the the same ilk and it didn’t really add anything new to the mix.
The trailer and advertising would have you believe that the movie has some radical view point. Red state versus Blue state. In reality it didn’t take any stance at all trying to be edgy and apolitical at the same time. A sanitised product dressed up as something more.
The finale is a disappointing extended cat fight that tends to repeat itself until the silliest death in history leaves you thankful that the movie was only 90 minutes long.
When all is said and done The Hunt is average at best.