The Hunted Reviews

Better than given credit for

This is Hollywood's A-list version of an old-style B-movie potboiler. Del Toro's war machine runs amok and Jones' teacher tracks him down. Don't expect much more and you won't be disappointed. Like the best B's it's lean and mean, coming in at 85 minutes (sans credits), as any longer and you'd start to notice the joins.

Freidkin may be well past his peak but compared to today's CGI-fixated youngbloods he handles this kind of back to basics thriller material like the pro he is, using good old-fashioned stuntwork, terrific use of location, and razor-sharp sound and editing. He keeps the pace tight and keeps the money on screen to give the story more slick gloss than it probably deserves.

On the down side, Jones does his usual gnarly critter with a soft centre routine but does seem too old for the action work, Del Toro's performance is just plain odd, and Neilson has little to do but fill in the gaps. Nevertheless, the background subtexts (opening Kosovan slaughter, Jones teaching killers without ever being one, nature of guilt, Del Toro putting Man lower in the food chain etc) do beef up the material enough to raise it well above TV movie blandness, and Freidkin does know how to put an actioner together.

This film is rank.

The acting is terrible, the plot is wafer thin and the dialogue is stilted and many of the ideas set out (Aaron's comments on wildlife etc.) are undeveloped. There are a few decent fight scenes but it's not worth watching it for those alone. Do yourself a favour - rent something else!

good try

this movie starts of really good and shows a pretty grim and realistic view of what happened in those times. After though it turns into something silly. Becoming a 1 man hunting thing is kinda repetitive of tommy lee jones. Cant remember a movie of his I have seen where he isn't after 1 guy!! I expect a lot more of Benicio and was dissapointed although he does put in a good performance.

Worth watching if your not prepped for action.

Very similar to the films tommy made with Harrison Ford when he had to track him down. Still very enjoyable though. Plenty of action. Bit obvious in places. would recommend to anyone who enjoyed a decent adventure film.

Cutting edge cat and moust action adventure

The knife fighting is nothing like we've seen before, the character of Tommy Lee Jones based on a great tracker makes for innovative suspense and action.

Del Toro is greatly cast, the acting in this film is really in the eyes and movement, and there's not much dialogue. That’s why Tommy Lee and Del Toro raise the bar of it, it had to have two great actors, this is a must see cat and mouse film. And the extras enhance your understanding of the film.

Rambo rip-off mish-mash

If you liked Rambo you will be disappointed with this film. If you didn't like Rambo, you probably will after watching this film. If you haven't seen Rambo, I would suggest you watch Rambo instead of this film.

In case I haven't got my point across - this film is basically an updated version of Rambo, and a very poor one at that.

The story centres around an army veteran (the horribly miscast Benecio Del Toro) driven insane by the horrors of war. Whereas Rambo was at the very least a study of a society-trained killing machine's uneasy re-integration into an un-accepting society, this film does not even begin to explore the psychological reasons for the central characters transformation into a sociopath.

The plot is full of glaringly large holes, and sacrifices any chance of depth for tired (and badly done) Hollywood clichés.

Tommy Lee Jones does his best to bring credibility, and almost pulls it off, but it is an impossible task when faced with a fatally flawed plot and a woefully substandard-script.

Del Toro has played some fantastic roles in some fantastic films (e.g. Usual Suspects), but looks uncomfortable and out of place in the leading role in this film.

Overall, not worth hunting down.

Disappointing!

It has a good story, good cast, good start??

But then it all goes miserably wrong! The films finishes too soon you are left wondering is that it? The story could have been developed so much more, and the start had the potential?. But the film has a terrible silly ending!

Didnt ask for this film, and after half an hour turned it off, usual america pap about we one a war - didnt we - or did they??!?!?!

[Highly rated reviewer]

How to tell the sharks from the guppys

Aaron Hallam (Del Torro) is a CIA assassin who according to his employers “Can no longer tell the sharks from the guppys” and has turned rogue. So L.T. (Jones) who in true Hollywood fashion is the man who trained him is brought in to hunt him down.

Cue much running around and lots of frilly knife fights. The first fifteen minutes where we see Hallam carry out an assassination in a Kosovan hellhole and then take out two CIA operatives in dense forest are the most interesting and tense. With the introduction of Jones character, the films moral centre, the tension dissipates and we are left with a slick but formulaic chase picture. The Fugitive meets First Blood.

Del Torro is miscast. He’s far too lugubrious a presence to play a driven steely eyed killer and in the scenes where we see him training he looks about 20 years older than the other recruits. Jones growls and mumbles a lot. The cinematography is lush when showing scenes of verdant woodland which reflects poorly on the city scenes.

It’s not a bad film but I’d expect better from Friedkin, the director of The French Connection and the script doesn’t fully explain the motivations behind Del Torros character.

The Hunted badly wants to be lean cruel shark of a movie but too often ends up like a guppy floundering in the net like confines of its own script.

Tommy Lee Jones as usual proves what an acomplished actor he is in a tottaly believable thriller which tries to deal with the psychological consequences of warfare A TREAT FOR ALL