How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆ 1 July 2012
This a movie review of THE HUNTER. |
“Very nice for you, not to need anyone.”
I love these kind of pared-back thrillers: minimal dialogue, men with/against nature, and none of the cast guaranteed to make it to the finishing line. You’ve seen ESSENTIAL KILLING I hope. No? Put it on your list. See also: APOCALYPTO, THE WAY BACK, THE GREY and THE WARRIOR. Odds are you live in a city, and you’ll be grateful after sitting through those, but also desiring the resourcefulness of the leads.
I love these kind of pared-back thrillers: minimal dialogue, men with/against nature, and none of the cast guaranteed to make it to the finishing line. You’ve seen ESSENTIAL KILLING I hope. No? Put it on your list. See also: APOCALYPTO, THE WAY BACK, THE GREY and THE WARRIOR. Odds are you live in a city, and you’ll be grateful after sitting through those, but also desiring the resourcefulness of the leads.
|
|
The titular hunter is the mellifluous-voiced Willem Dafoe. His breadth and choice of projects is remarkable. From PLATOON and THE ENGLISH PATIENT to FINDING NEMO and THE BOONDOCK SAINTS. I even enjoy his Birds Eye frozen fish adverts. Dafoe’s Martin David is not a killer of people, but of animals. His assignment is from a military biotech, Red Leaf, to bring back samples from Australia and destroy the already thought to be extinct Tasmanian tiger. The last in existence is rumoured to have been spotted. Red Leaf needs the DNA, and seeks out Martin’s expertise before their rivals can get to the animal first. He only has a short window. Already THE HUNTER touches on environmentalism, corporatism, militarism and individual morality, and we’re still haven’t crossed the 10 minute mark. The film packs in a lot of ideas, though doesn’t quite explore all of them satisfactorily. High five for ambition however.
In the middle of nowhere, the only inhabitants are a few locals either working in the logging industry, or eco-warriors protesting its presence. Both sets are intimidating and unwelcoming, bar Jack Mindy (Sam Neil) and the Armstrong family Martin pays board to. The father of this family has been mysteriously missing since the previous summer. A bond with the children and the wife, Lucy (Frances O'Connor), grows quickly. Martin’s splendid isolation is compromised. The human drama, coupled with the tension of the chase, makes for a quietly gripping experience.
THE HUNTER’s beautiful scenery, as a context for the brief exploration of the darkness of the human soul, is one for fans of lean and unusual thrillers.