Kevin's Watch

Craig Zobel's The Hunt is not going to be for everybody but I enjoyed it. I think the violence - and it is pretty nasty - is stylised to the point where in the context of the film it is doable, especially if you can take it all as slightly tongue in cheek.

The story centers on a group of redneck 'deplorables' (references here to Hilary Clinton's labeling of Trump supporters in the US election campaign) abducted and subsequently hunted by a group of wealthy liberal elitists who fail to see the at odds nature of what they are doing set against the do-gooding political correctness of their espoused beliefs.

The story rolls along at pace with the initial bewilderment of the participants gradually being explained as they are picked off one by one (pretty rapidly initially actually) and with the emergence of the one victim who is capable of hitting back. There is a plot twist in respect of this character that is probably meant to be part of the underlying message of the film

Spoiler

that only by being in the middle can one truly be considered 'innocent' of the bias and bigotry seen on both sides and possibly have a chance at survival

but to me seemed a little bit of a cop-out, a failure to be able to 'pick a side' as it were.......but I think I'm probably being unfair here.

But I have to say, for all I enjoyed the film, I don't think it's terribly deep, or it's message terribly revealing. I think to wrap it up in a deep moral message is possibly more reflective of an external justification for the internal pleasure we are getting from seeing a group of priggish narcissistic assholes getting their cumupance in a blood spattered gore-fest.

See it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Still plan to watch this when I get a chance because I really like Betty Gilpin as an actress, but I dunno when that will be. What's it on in the UK, Amazon Prime?

Certainly worth a watch Murrin, but probably not worth springing the tenner that Prime et al are asking for it unless you are desperate to see it; hold on until the price comes down or it goes into the Sky film package if I were you.

I didn't know Betty Gilpin prior to this, but she was tip top in her role and an extended fight scene between her and Hillary Swank (I think it was) was exceptionally choreographed!