Betty Gilpin in "The Hunt”. © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS All Rights Reserved.
Directed by: Craig Zobel
Written by: Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof based on “The Most Dangerous Game” by: Richard Connell
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, Hillary Swank
The timing for the release of Universal Pictures’ “The Hunt,” which after a six-month delay is being released into theaters this weekend, couldn’t be worse.
Or could it?
Craig Zobel’s (“Z for Zachariah”) film is a raucous look at what happens when a group of 12 complete strangers is put into a green pasture, hog tied and forced to fend for themselves, with sniper fire pinning them down from every direction, traps set out to maim or kill the group, thusly restricting their movements.
While the screenplay by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof is full of modern-day allegory to our own ongoing struggle with the current administration and the division it has created, there is a subtler undertone to the story that caused this critic’s brow to furrow in interest.
Zobel does not shirk behind the material. In fact, even as the Universal logo fades in, the swell of Nathan Barr’s score exults a triumphant wave of music, almost farcical in nature. It sets the tone for the next 90 minutes in that the characters that populate both sides of this charade are just as unprepared for the reality they’ve created.
“The Hunt” is more a parable for the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ than it is about ‘red’ and ‘blue,’ but those political ideologies inform our characters, especially that of Crystal (Betty Gilpin) and Athena (Hillary Swank).
Glipin is an absolute blast as Crystal, the proclaimed Southern Redneck with a lanky drawl. Yet, her calm demeanor suggests that she is something far more than meets the eye. Zobel doesn’t bring those attributes of her character out in to the open immediately, instead letting her character build slowly.
Athena on the other hand is a hot head; someone who is used to getting exactly what she wants when she wants it and Swain relished in the chance to perform this type of role. It was outside of her comfort zone, but we never see her sweat. Zobel makes the brilliant choice to not show her face right away, giving her a voice only as if Geppetto pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
This makes her far more ominous than the other characters that fill her cadre; the fearful elites who think their fun will be taken away at a moment’s notice. And, Crystal does exactly that.
Even if there weren’t overt references to George Orwell in this story, it has an Orwellian feel to it with the tongue-in-cheekiness that keeps us in the game but is just enough for us to realize that it is fake.
Or is it?
The film was due to be released in late September 2019 but was pulled after two test screenings didn’t sit well with audiences, followed by a push from the media to hold the film back due to an ongoing epidemic of gun violence. Now, a new epidemic might keep people from seeing this in theaters this weekend.
Which would be a shame because it deserves a chance, even though its politics might not agree with most audiences, “The Hunt” is undeniable fun with a really solid finale.
3.75 out of 4
