You’ve heard about The Hunt with its headline-grabbing news due to its content and perceived controversial nature. It was pulled from the release calendar for fear it would be misinterpreted as advocating violence against conservatives and Republicans. But, after seeing it, those who may have been offended by its subject matter might have wanted to simply see the film. It is a searing indictment … wait, let’s back up.
Twelve strangers awake in a vast field, completely unaware of where they are—all while gagged with padlocks preventing anyone from taking them off. Suddenly, a box appears. One brave soul rushes towards it, opens it and there is a pig that runs out … and a cache of weapons. Everyone races towards it and sniper shots ring out and folks are struck down left and right. Chaos ensues as our ensemble runs every which way. A handful (including Ike Barinholtz) land at a local gas station, inquire where they are located, and they are told by an amicable couple (Amy Madigan and Reed Birney) that they’re in Arkansas. When one of the souls bites into a Hostess doughnut, she starts foaming at the mouth and collapses to the ground. This is no gas station. It’s part of The Hunt.
What’s The Hunt, you ask?
It was a rumored event that takes place at a manor inhabited by Oscar winner Hilary Swank’s Athena where some uber elite folks on the left abscond with a dozen or so right winters and it is exactly as it sounds. They’re set loose, after awaking from being knocked out and transferred to an unidentified locale, given a few weapons so it’s somewhat fair, and then it’s on like Donkey Kong. It doesn’t look real good for our targets as they are picked off before even being able to switch their weapons from safety. Some are even shot down by arrows!
There’s one woman who is not having it and they may have chosen the wrong person if they were looking for easy kills because Betty Gilpin’s Crystal is a force of nature. She’s smart. She’s crafty and when it comes to defending herself, you would be hard-pressed to find someone tougher. She leaves a wake of dead bodies on her way to trying her best to make it out of this insanity alive.
Gilpin makes this entire film. She is a firecracker, and that is putting it mildly. What she does so effectively with her turn is achieved greatness with little dialogue. She is a woman of few words. Her actions do all the talking and one thing is for certain, she did not appreciate being taken from her home in Mississippi and traipsed across the world to some strange locale to be shot dead by a group of white elite. Her southern accent is piercing, but not so overwhelming that she has twang. It’s perfect. All her persona bleeds through her tone, tenor, and tenacity. This is a Southern Belle whose brandishing everything from machine guns, to handguns and grenades before all is said and done. It’s a thrill ride to witness her in action and literally making this movie hers, when it has an ensemble that will have many saying, “I know them!”. Stars such as Emma Roberts, Barinholtz, Sturgill Simpson (The Dead Don’t Die), and Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).
The wicked smart and pointed script by regular collaborators Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) are a master at weaving a web of complicated connections between characters that usually results in an explosive conclusion with an all-out lethal lead up. The story is biting and makes a million points about both sides of the aisle. There are no winners here, in the end …really. But points are made for the ridiculousness of right-wing pontificators and the left-wing lofty individuals who gaze down at the rest of the nation who do not agree with them. It’s a biting commentary on our society in 2020 and most importantly, where we are political with a presidential election merely months from now.
The subversive satire paints a picture that is quite powerful at this moment in human history. Judging a book by its cover in 2020 can be dangerous to the point of death. Are your ideas worth dying for?
There are three bonus features on the Blu-Ray that The Movie Mensch received for review. Each is equally as insightful and entertaining as the latter.
Given the uber-violence nature and creative means of killing of their characters, don’t miss Death Scene Breakdowns—The Hunt. The featurette delves into the gifted special effects and make-up teams that made each single death outrageous, violent, and absolutely unforgettable movie killings. Honestly, many of them had me uttering, “Ooooooh! No way.”
Crafting the Hunt finds the cast discussing their acting toolbox and how both props and costumes helped them filling in the characterization blanks and more importantly, elevate the shock and awe for this bodaciously bloody thriller.
The Athena Vs. Crystal: Hunter or Hunted? showcases the final battle between these female steam trains on a collision course. It’s red versus blue and in the end, both will be quite a bit purple. This featurette showcases how filmmakers crafted that scene with special effects, intense training with fight choreography that had to be pitch perfect and learned by rote by Gilpin and Swank. Best female on female fight scene since Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B