The Hunted (2003)

Its pretty sad when after the first half hour, you're already thinking "how are they going to kill the next forty minutes?"

The entire plot...lock, stock and barrel, is played, replayed, and replayed over and over with just enough variation to make you wish that they had done it once well instead of half assed many times. Nut job escapes into wilderness, gets chased, gets caught, does it again. Lather rinse repeat.

Just for additional torture, we get all sorts of missed opportunities that could have made this movie bearable.but instead wind up as clichés that feel like they're only there JUST IN CASE we might wind up with some sympathy for Benicio Del Toro. He's a war hero that can't take it anymore; he dupes a woman into taking him in and lying for him; he views his trainer as the father he never had; he marks passages in the Bible. All these things that could have developed into something interesting are left flapping almost as if they're only there because no whacked out guy in the woods movie should be without them.

Why did this man join the military? How did he get into Special Forces? What was his relationship with L.T? What was his relationship with this woman like? What about the kid.is it his? Sadly, we'll never know but it sure does provide a nice distraction to think about when he evades capture..for the third time.

The fight scenes, while especially bloody and personal, are something of a disappointment. Granted, they're probably more realistic this way, but they pretty much boil down to two middle aged men slapping each other and rolling around in the dirt. You WANT it to be exciting, but it just doesn't deliver. Same goes for the cat and mouse escape and evade scenes. You want them to be suspenseful, but a camera cutting away, returning to the same spot and, *SURPRISE!* he's not there anymore!, just isn't edge of your seat material.

In one of the most predictable moments in the film, L.T. reads a letter addressed to him from our nutty soldier saying that the people after him are robots.

If only it were true..

Fmovies: Three facts about this film help to make it highly-rated in my book: it's very entertaining, moves fast and lasts only 90 minutes. So, if in the mood for a combination Fugitive/Rambo story with two very intense lead actors, this is a convenient diversion to play numerous times.

Tommy Lee Jones was the mentor who trained Benico Del Toro on the art of killing and now the ex-student has gone out of control and Jones must hunt him down, something the police can't seem to do. That's the story, simple as that. The only thing was a little implausible is that old man chasing down a kid for miles. Tommy Lee might be in shape, but he isn't young enough to do what he does here. However, both men are fun to watch and the action scenes are well done. You don't get bored watching this movie.

No, the film isn't high-grade mentality but it isn't totally stupid, either. It doesn't get carried and is pretty believable until the final chase scene. Along the way, we are treated the Portland cityscape and Northwest woods, both of which are nicely filmed.

Although it would be easy to write The Hunted off as a simple chase film (I can see the pitch now: "It's First Blood married to Predator with a dose of The Fugitive", and in reality that is a pretty fair description) but it's straight forward manner lends a constant sense of urgency. Throughout this gory (yeah it's pretty graphic) cat and mouse thriller we are also given some real insight into Del Toro's character. Unwilling to make sweeping judgments about nearly any of the characters (Connie Nielsen's FBI agent is a bit stubborn and single minded and occasionally very careless in discharging her firearm in public, Tommy Lee Jones'survivalist trainer has a guilty conscious of his own and even Del Toro's transformation is understandable), the finale is exciting but emotionally complicated, even tragic. The camera work and editing are very effective and affective while not overwhelming the finished product with the typical Hollywood style over substance dilemma. Combined with some very strong performances by the leads THE HUNTED makes for a very intense and satisfying thriller experience.

The Hunted fmovies. I too don't understand the negative comments here. The Hunted is a great action flick. It features great leads from Tommy Lee Jones (as you would expect) and Benicio Del Toro (my first film experience with him, I thought he added an amazing presence to his character) plus good support from the surrounding cast. The film has some amazing locations and scenery and was very well paced. The fight and actions scenes were excellent with some decent gore thrown in where necessary. My only nit pick was I felt it could have been a little longer in duration. Ignore the bad press on The Hunted. I just don't understand how you can't enjoy this film - that simple! Oh,..and doesn't Tommy Lee Jones really suit the beard.

Aaron Hallam (Benicio Del Toro) is a special ops guy in the military who has been trained by one of the best--L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones). Hallam is routinely ordered to execute strategic figures, and he probably doesn't often know why. Sometimes he has to do his work in the midst of chaos, and sometimes he has to take out people who get in the way. After a brief prologue establishing Hallam's character in the middle of the Bosnian conflict, The Hunted has him back in the States, trying to reintegrate with society. When Hallam can't do it, L.T. is sent for to track him down.

The Hunted is an action/chase film in the tradition of The Fugitive (1993). Thematically, it is much closer to First Blood (aka Rambo) (1982), but it doesn't have the firepower of that film (to its benefit, the emphasis here is on brutal hand-to-hand combat). On the surface, at least, the plot is an excuse for the chase and encounter scenes between Hallam and Bonham. If you're a fan of action and fighting films, this may be right up your alley, although there is more to be gained than the surface qualities.

Director William Friedkin and the cast are able to create fairly complex characters in Hallam and Bonham through subtle means while the action material is occurring, through well-placed flashbacks, and through two significant, slower scenes that give us a momentary breather. But as much as Del Toro and Jones, the stars of the film are the staging of the chases, the staging of the fights, and the spectacular stunt work. Del Toro and Jones seem to have done more stunt work than is the norm, with Del Toro actually breaking his wrist at one point and halting the production of the film until it healed.

Friedkin and editor Augie Hess deserve a lot of credit, as action scenes like these can frequently become muddled. It's always perfectly clear what one location's relationship is to the next location, what and why characters are doing what they're doing, and just what is occurring in the fight scenes--who is injuring who and how. Friedkin never falls back on fast cuts, blurry shots or speed control tricks to mask these scenes. The Hunted is also effective for retaining more realism than is the norm for contemporary action films--not that I ever subtract points for a lack of realism, but the realism is novel here and in context, works perfectly. Friedkin's choice of Johnny Cash songs for the opening and closing of the film was also inspired, as were the beautiful locations.

Of course, there's also a more political subtext here--namely that we officially train persons to be fearless killers without a conscience and stick them into the middle of crazy situations, often for extended periods of time, then later expect them to be able to "turn it off" and meld back into society with all of its more mundane norms and mores. The film asks who is really responsible for the later behavior of these persons. The Hunter is also admirable for bringing up these issues, but not providing definite, curt answers. On this end it's not just an action film, but a film to provoke serious thought and discussion.

Jones and Del Toro show why they are amongst the best of their respective generations. Not only with strong acting, but also for the precisely coordinated and physically demanding fight scenes. While it may be hard to believe that Jones can deliver such impressive action at his age, he is more than believable as the type of grizzled ass-kicker who can square up against Del Toro's world-class assassin. The movie's plot is too simple; its basically two men hunting each other. Still, legendary director William Friedkin delivers a sharp well-paced 90 minute chase through the film's third star, the beautiful city of Portland and the magnificent forestry that surrounds it.