‘The Hunt’ is an exciting thriller that keeps the viewer in suspense by subverting common action movie tropes and clichéd execution. It can be thoroughly enjoyed if approached purely as a thriller with the goal of exhilarating the viewing audience. It is chock-full of violent action scenes that serve to accentuate the absurdity of the story rather than harming it.
The film kicks off with a dozen strangers waking up in a field without knowing how they got there. Faced with the chance to arm themselves, via a crate full of weapons, some individuals are picked off from a distance, whilst others scatter in the surrounding area. Some are revealed to be more adept than others at handling the ensuing manhunt, however it is quickly revealed that only one is capable of surviving.
The opening scene presents us with a group of wealthy individuals, travelling to commence a literal manhunt. The premise and tone of the story is set quickly as a fast paced gag-filled thriller. Thereafter a slew of recognisable actors are presented one by one to the audience as tributes to the hunt. As we latch on to the first participant, played by Emma Roberts, the viewer is lulled into a state of ease, as we assume such a distinguishable actor has to be the crux of the entire story. The film also presents a possible love interest for her as the group of people scramble to arm themselves and communally share the loot-crate. Reminiscent of the opening scene of ‘Scream’ (1996), the film quickly discards of her and we are invited to follow the next participant. He too is swiftly dropped as our main character and we are left with a few scattered individuals. After a few more gruesome deaths, Crystal emerges as the sole individual that we can attach ourselves to and rely on as a constant factor in the story.
Early on the viewer is subjected to questioning everything about the story ranging from the location of the hunt to the reasons behind it. The story successfully subverts the viewers assumptions and expectations at every turn. The final girl we meet at the beginning is executed within the first 15 minutes, the people behind it are revealed to be liberal elites and the main characters raison d'être is indiscernible till the third act.
The way in which the story is presented is a useful tool in illustrating the way in which an individual may gather and retain information, how we choose to accept facts and the shortcomings of our preconceived notions influencing our stance on any one subject. The film raises many hot-button issues, understandably polarising the viewing audience. When the idea of gun ownership is raised, the film approaches the subject from both sides. If the viewer has strong feelings towards the issue one way or another, the film can sour after this point. However, without any pro or against attachment to guns the exchange can be viewed as a clever back and forth, allowing the audience to laugh after many suspenseful scenes leading up to that point.
The visual style of the film is understated, rarely making use of vibrant colour palettes to make any one individual stand out, evoking the sense that things rarely exist in absolutes, rather there are the various shades in between. The cinematography in the film, helmed by Darran Tiernan, accentuates the idea the story raises, namely that ideas and arguments are rarely black and white, existing in a complex set of circumstances. Another welcome feat of the camerawork is the execution of the action sequences. Many thrillers suffer from multi-cut fight scenes that disorient and confuse the viewer. ‘The Hunt’ masterfully displays numerous well shot hand-to-hand combat sequence. The audience is invited to suffer every punch between the main characters and serves well to display an argument between two sides unwilling to back down.
‘The Hunt’ serves as commentary on the current climate of misinformation, the media and how we perceive facts and the news. It illustrates individual shortcomings and how people may become entrenched in their opinions and further spread what they believe to be true. The resolution of the story leads the viewer to consider if what they believe is built on a solid foundation of fact as we realise Athena, the main antagonist, selected the wrong individual for the hunt to achieve what she believed to be the right thing to do.
The individuals we are introduced to, to follow in the story as our protagonists, including Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Ike Barinholtz and many others, play their short-lived parts beautifully. The actors display various trope protagonists, successfully misleading the audience until we are presented with Crystal. Played by Betty Gilpin, Crystal is a tight-lipped ex-soldier, quickly revealed to be capable of looking after herself. Besides her quiet demeanour, Gilpin showcases outbursts of effective tactical action and harsh one-liners, allowing the audience to admire her technical abilities and remain intimidated by what she may do next. Her counterpart Athena, played by Hillary Swank, represents a diametrically opposed persona in a well-to-do entitled businesswoman, having recently suffered complete destruction of her career due to conspiracy theories based on a text message she sent. Swank skilfully conveys the angered and determined Athena, as she is on a path of revenge.
‘The Hunt’ is an entertaining thriller, full of gory action scenes, fantastically funny one liners and effective back-and-forth concerning the representation of controversial issues. The film successfully does what many action movies lately have failed to achieve, namely keeping the viewer in suspense. If the viewer is successful of divorcing oneself of any pre-existing opinions on guns, immigration and the liberal and conservative schools of thought, ‘The Hunt’ is a joy-ride.
If you are inclined to stick to your guns, the concluding thoughts expressed in the film may be somewhat mixed, but that does not take away from the journey it took to get there.
Score: 3/4
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