THE HUNT
US, 2020, 90 minutes, Colour.
Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Wayne Duvall, Ike Barinholtz, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Christopher Berry, Amy Madigan, Reed Burney.
Directed by Craig Zobel.
The Hunt is a Blumhouse production, specialists in horror films, their reputation growing during the 2010s. Their films were attracting casts with high reputations, here Hilary Swank and Betty Gilpin.
There have been many stories about human hunts, going back to The Most Dangerous Game. This film opens in mid-action, a range of people, men and women, drugged and coming out of coma only to find that they are being pursued and killed. The most enterprising of these is Crystal, Betty Gilpin, who is determined to live, encounters a strange couple owning a store only to find that they are part of the conspiracy. She relies also on a sympathetic older man accompanying her (and with a pig called Orwell) only to find that he is also in conspiracy with the controllers who are to destroy Crystal.
After about an hour, the film goes back in time, giving some background to Athena (Hilary Swank) and her masterminding of the pursuit as Well Is its motivations, attack on “The Deplorables� (remembering Hilary Clinton’s use of the word during the 2016 presidential campaign and reaction against it). Ultimately, there will be a confrontation between Crystal and Athena, quite choreographed, and, of course, the ultimate vindication of Crystal.
1. The title? The organisation of the hunt? The range of hunted, the range of hunters? Motivation? Divided America? Topical – in the aftermath of the Trump years and the election conflict
2. A Blumhouse production, specialising in horror stories?
3. The opening and closing in the plane, the passengers, the discussions, their whims, the man and his mad turn, overpowering him? The authorities behind the plane? The end? Crystal, her victory, enjoying the flight, sitting with the flight attendant? From hunted to victor?
4. The classical music, the open field, Crystal and everyone being gagged, able to get the gags off, the weapons, the strange pig (called Orwell)? The attack, the violence, attempts at escape, the deaths? The escape to the convenience store, the managers, Arkansas, the reactions, turning to violence, the deaths, cleanup?
5. Crystal, her surviving, coming to the store, suspicious, turning the tables on the proprietor?
6. Don, his appearance, the gun, claiming innocence and persecution? Working with Crystal, jumping onto the train, finding the refugees, stopped by the police, their accents, the agent undercover? Driving in the car, their discussions, their being picked up by the authorities, Crystal pushing the driver out, crushing his head, the truth?
7. The voice on the control, Don and Crystal finding the hut, the introduction to the group there, purpose, motivations, voice commands? Don setting down the pig? Crystal and her destroying of the group? The voice calling Don, pleading innocence, Crystal shooting him?
8. Crystal going to the house, the confrontation with Athena?
9. After 60 minutes of film, going back a year, the introduction to Athena, her collaborators and their plans, the idea of the hunt, divisions in the United States, the leads, the condemnation of those abducted as “Deplorables�? Their being drugged, transferred, the wealthy house in Connecticut, the atmosphere of the Balkans, language, soldiers and police, the refugees – and the planted agent, the plan? Merciless?
10. The confrontation between Crystal and Athena, the discussions, the choreography of the fight? Crystal defeating Athena? Her emergence as the hero figure, her martial arts skills, fighting, her being in Afghanistan?
11. The audiences who saw the film as hilarious? Those who took it seriously? Messages or not? Divided America – leading to violence and civil war clashes?
