Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing and realize
they are being hunted by a group of rich people. HORROR
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The Hunt (2020)Directed by Craig Zobel
Written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof Starring Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Wayne Duvall, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Amy Madigan, Reed Birney, Glenn Howerton, Steve Coulter, Dean J. West, Vince Pisani, Teri Wyble |
Satire is at its best when wrapped in a cocoon of subtlety. Then again, an obvious smack in the head can work too under the right conditions. There's nothing subtle whatsoever about The Hunt. A cadre of white-privileged, elitist liberals decide to start hunting human beings for sport after being accused of hunting human beings for sport. Not the tightest screenwriting, but I'm onboard so far. Their targets? Ignorant, racist, gun-toting, redneck idiots who flaunt their stupidity proudly. Okay, still onboard. Ultimately realizing you've got nowhere to go story-wise beyond your initial setup? Now I'm losing interest.
A bunch of conservative dipshits wake up gagged in a field next to a large crate of weapons. Someone starts shooting at them, and we get a tease of various potential protagonists as would-be heroes are blown away one at a time, including Justin Hartley, Emma Roberts, Ike Barinholtz, and Ethan Suplee. But nope, they're all red herrings. Our heroine is Betty Gilpin, playing the ex-military psychotic Crystal. Crystal becomes our guide through this nutcake factory, as we learn exactly why these rich dicks are doing this to some of America's most annoying citizens. Turns out, they're pissed that these guys took a twisted joke too seriously, so they turned the joke into a reality to prove some sort of point. The film's biggest problem, or its strength depending on how you look at it, is that both sides are equally insufferable. The conservatives are ignorant and backwards, but the liberals are arrogant and impossible to like. I guess the point is don't pick a side. Think for yourself and don't join a club. I get why people don't like The Hunt. It calls both sides out on their respective bullshit and refuses to commit to either. I can respect that. I do the same. I think I just wanted a better reason behind this crazy concept. In a way, conservatives taking a conspiracy joke too seriously is right on brand with the movie, as is the over-the-top liberal response. I don't think it's as horrendous as my colleague to the right does, but it is missing something inexplicable that I'm sure I'll figure out if/when I watch it again. |
After dealing with some crazy amount of controversy due to its political themes, The Hunt was pulled from its original release date. And, it seemed like we weren’t even going to get it at all there for a moment. But, about a month ago, it was announced the film would be getting released after all with an accompanying new release date and marketing campaign to go with it. A pretty good one too, I might add. It banked heavily on the film’s reason for being delayed and got me genuinely excited for what the finished product would be. Then the reviews came out. And they were fairly divided. But, regardless, I wanted to check it out. Plus, with all the many film delays currently happening, I don’t have many options at the moment. So, how was this much hyped, politically charged, horror comedy? Simply, not good. Let’s get into the details.
I honestly no longer understand the controversy with this film. The Hunt does its best to poke fun at both the liberals and conservatives. Again, does its best. The main problem is this is one of the least subtle films I’ve ever seen. Instead of making clever jokes, characters go on what seems like more of a rant about some political issue. Seriously, the movie just seems to pause and beat you over the head with it. There is no subtlety here, folks. And, unfortunately, the actors aren’t able to save this. Quite frankly, most of them have their comedic talents completely wasted here. Hilary Swank and Betty Gilpin, who have been singled out as a positive, are clearly doing their best here. But, even they can’t save this script. I’ll give them credit for trying, though. There are only two things I’ll say I actually enjoyed in this entire film. The first is the numerous gore effects. They don’t disappoint and gorehounds, like myself, will be satisfied. The other is how this film messes with who the audience thinks the main character is going to be towards the beginning. Wish the rest of the movie was this creative. The Hunt is a train wreck of a film. Its political themes are more heavy handed than they are funny. Its script just doesn’t work one bit. Actors are clearly trying, but still not able to save it. This is a film which shouldn’t have been delayed for its political message; it should have been delayed for its poor quality. After this, I would be okay if we didn’t get another politically charged horror film like this. |