The Hunt

Dear readers, I have seen the so-called “most talked-about movie of the year that no one’s actually seen,” and let me tell you, it’s a whole lot of talk for a film that actually says very little.

From its opening scene, I had hopes that The Hunt would perfectly blend the unapologetic “eat the rich” ethos of HBO’s “Succession” with the cheeky high-stakes thrill of last year’s murder mystery blockbuster, Knives Out. Featuring an impossibly wicked and wealthy douchebag portrayal from Glenn Howerton (FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), we watch as his character, Richard, argues over proper behavior on a private plane and what to do with last night’s caviar, all while self-righteously sipping six-figure Champagne. The scene quickly devolves from entitled creature comforts into blood-soaked chaos, and we’re off to the races — or should I say the hunt.

Using a decidedly political spin on Richard Connell’s famous 1924 short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” director Craig Zobel (Z for Zachariah) gets the titular event going with 12 strangers who wake up in a forest clearing in God-knows-where, gagged and confused, tasked with ensuring their own survival against an unseen force of armed and angry elitists. With a slew of downright shocking deaths to set the tone right off the bat, the film focuses on one woman, Crystal (Betty Gilpin, Netflix’s “GLOW”), as she awakens ready to kick ass, take names and confront her captors head-on.

Writers Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse (most recently of HBO’s “Watchmen” fame) have infused the familiar socioeconomic “wealthy man vs. working man” survival tale with a heavy dose of deeply polarizing politics, pitting the most extreme sides of the ideological spectrum against one another. Though rife with significance and timeliness in subject matter, the premise itself is not executed nearly as cleverly or successfully as it could be.

The writing feels generic and mostly lazy, relying on obvious and outdated stereotypes to explain its disjointed plot and immoral character motivations. While the entitled, overly-PC liberals hunting the humans they deem “undesirable” feels like nothing more than a group of monstrous caricatures, their “deplorable,” mostly Southern-tongued prey are given little-to-no backstory, nor are we provided with a reasoning for their targeting for extinction, except for a brief, clumsy explanation halfway through the film. Because of this narrative shortcoming, one of the parties involved seem remotely human and, instead, come off as two-dimensional “SNL” sketch parodies.

However, once we’re introduced to shotgun-slinging, no-bullshitting Crystal, the film undergoes a significant tonal shift and gives viewers the sense that her quest must be taken seriously. Though we learn little about her other than she’s from Mississippi and fought in Afghanistan, we’re immediately able to infer that she exists firmly between both ideological extremes and, as such, her outlook on life is the correct choice. Delivered with unflinching strength and surprisingly deft comedic timing, Gilpin’s Crystal believably (and entertainingly) navigates through the muddy waters of a truly unbelievable premise. But without her shrewd guidance and superb use of snarky-but-deadly-serious facial expressions, the film would feel altogether misguided and somewhat hokey.

Speaking of misguided, herein lies The Hunt’s central issue: its messaging. As the story progresses, the central theme begins to unravel and becomes increasingly unclear. Is it about extremism and the danger of conspiracy theories? A warning against wealth inequality? Or is it simply a story of survival? The film doesn’t choose a side or take a real stance either way, other than “extremism is always dangerous and sometimes deadly.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t a concise enough statute to carry the weight of its overarching political agenda, and, in turn, the film falters most when it tries to focus on that aspect. Instead of conveying a caustic metacommentary on what happens when conspiracy theorizing goes deeply awry — as the filmmakers have argued it does — The Hunt ultimately settles for a largely lackluster “liberals vs. conservatives” cautionary tale.

As the film carries on, the plot further reveals itself as a clear-cut caveat against “cancel culture” and the perception society projects onto certain subjects without further exploration. Interestingly, its creative team members dealt with this predicament directly, just before its intended release last fall, as they found themselves amid a sea of social controversy and calls for cancelation by those who had never even seen it (the most notable dissenter being President Trump).

Following summer 2019’s string of mass shootings and given the film’s reliance on gruesome gun violence, calls to halt The Hunt’s theatrical release seemed rooted in reason. However, once the media and Twitterverse jumped on board — citing politically enraging overtones as reason enough to scrap it entirely — the film’s reputation began to balloon far beyond its intention. This massive air of controversy did much to inflame intrigue and tempers alike and, unfortunately, turned out to be much more interesting and complex than the film itself. Accordingly, The Hunt seems to suffer from an inflated case of hype outweighing the finished product.

The film isn’t all disappointment, though. It’s filled with action sequences executed with such shocking depravity and lightning quick speed that they amusingly propel the harebrained plot forward. The suspense looming over the dozen unlucky victims as they realize they’re being hunted for sport and must outrun grenades, guns, arrows and a well-dressed pig named Orwell in order to survive creates an almost palpable sense of excitement and engagement on screen. Though the ridiculously violent pace wanes as the story rolls onward, there’s just enough sneaking suspicion surrounding every other unfamiliar character to keep audiences on guard at all times.

Thanks to these assets, if you manage to ignore all of the clunky, eye-rollingly political aspects of the story, you’ll find yourself amid one hell of an action ride. It’s gory, raw and genuinely funny in parts, and, to that end, it’s a decently fun watch. Gilpin in particular shines as the film’s saving grace, bringing a strangely alluring energy to an otherwise icy, immovable character. Her stubborn resolve is captivating on screen and connects most clearly when she’s hunting her hunters. Showcasing stellar stunt work — reminiscent of her iconic “GLOW” wrestling moves — Gilpin excels in her fantastically choreographed climactic kitchen fight scene with the superrich, superentitled supervillain, Athena (Hilary Swank).

From start to finish, it’s made abundantly clear that The Hunt is intent on having something to say — as it aims to mercilessly lampoon both sides of the ideological aisle — but when it comes down to it, the film fails to execute its message decisively. It’s unsure if it wants to be a socially skewering mockery or a full-on action thriller, and this tonal dissonance detracts from the film’s noble attempt to spotlight our society’s most egregious offenders.

Perhaps if the film had fully leaned into its outlandishly sardonic tone and served as a strictly entertaining gore-fest, or focused solely on the provocative irony at the core of its story, it might have been more successful. Instead, it tries to do too much at once — attempting to balance satire and substance with engrossing gross-out action montages — and, because of this overreaching, it fails to fully deliver on all fronts.

Though the premise and execution may be inherently flawed, the standout performance from Gilpin, along with the surprisingly enjoyable, irreverent battle scenes, make The Hunt a film worthy of a watch — or, at the very least, a mostly civilized discussion.

Available March 20 on Amazon, Apple, Sky and Comcast