Rent The Hunter (2012)
3.3 of 5 from 241 ratings
1h 38min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Hearing reports of a sighting of the last Tasmanian tiger in existence, ex-mercenary Martin (Willem Dafoe) is sent to hunt it down by a biotech company who believes it carries a unique and valuable chemical. Posing as an environmental scientist, he begins his pursuit of the creature, only to encounter a nearby community riven with conflict and simmering tensions. But faced with hostile locals and even more treacherous terrain, he must stop at nothing if he is to find his prey...
- Actors:
- Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Morgana Davies, Frances O'Connor, Finn Woodlock, Jacek Koman, Callan Mulvey, John Brumpton, Dan Wyllie, Sullivan Stapleton, Jamie Timony, Dan Spielman, Maia Thomas, Marc Watson-Paul
- Directors:
- Daniel Nettheim
- Producers:
- Vincent Sheehan
- Writers:
- Alice Addison, Wain Fimeri
- Studio:
- Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Drama
- Countries:
- Australia
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 29/10/2012
- Run Time:
- 104 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English, English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Making Of The Hunter
- Interview with Willem Dafoe
- Theatrical Trailer
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Reviews (3) of The Hunter
Beautifully photographed man-against-the-wilderness drama blended with human and animal tragedy - The Hunter review by RP
Cinema Paradiso has placed this film info the genres Classic Dramas + Adventure and I think that's about right. If you're looking for a crash-bang-wallop action thriller then you won't find it here.
What you will find is a beautifully photographed drama which blends the often clichéd man-against-the-wilderness theme with a slow burning story of human and animal tragedy. That may sound a bit pretentious, but I really enjoyed this and I regret not seeing it at the cinema - the landscapes really do deserve to be seen on a big screen.
Willem Dafoe's well-worn features echo the ancient landscape as he stalks his prey, the Tasmanian Tiger, last seen in a zoo in the 1930s. But he is not alone: not only is there an assortment of unfriendly locals (loggers, tree-huggers etc), friendly locals (the family he stays with) but also a succession of other hunters sent by the same mysterious biotech / pharma company.
Perhaps surprisingly, Willem Dafoe fits effortlessly into the lead role and gives a convincing performance of a man converted from a single minded hunter to a caring human being, conscious of the debt we owe to nature.
4/5 stars - highly recommended.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Very moving, without sentimentality - The Hunter review by none
I usually end up judging films according to how much I think about them the next day, so this was a definite Five Star. Deeply moving, and tragic without being pessimistic, and never sinking into the usual sentimentality one can usually expect from films about ecology and extinction. It doesn't ram conservation down your throat - it doesn't need to, it lets the superb scenery, the plot, and the characters get the message across by themselves. Attains just the right balance, with some very sweet and touching moments too. I really enjoyed the relationship between Willem Dafoe and the little boy. I was impressed, and would thoroughly recommend it.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Good, but not that good... - The Hunter review by Schrödinger's Cake
Set in the Tasmanian wilderness, the scenery that provides the backdrop to this film is stunning. It's straight out of Lord of the Rings, but with notably less hairy-feet.
The story itself though drifts along at a leisurely pace. Mostly consisting of some slower tranches of character acting, punctuated by the occasional intense sequence. Of the cast, Willem Dafoe and Morgana Davies deliver some memorable acting, but the other characters ended up being less engaging and more two-dimensional.
In all, I enjoyed it. Although I probably wouldn't rush to watch it again.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
The Hunter review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso
A rather surprising movie that deals with several of the world’s biggest and most controversial issues; the Hunter can truly only be described as an ecological thriller, telling the story of a mercenary who finds himself embroiled in the daily lives of a small Tasmanian community in the middle of their local wilderness.
At the behest of a mysterious and shady Red Leaf biotech company the mercenary, Martin (William DaFoe) is sent to Tasmania in search of the last remaining Tasmanian tiger, whose DNA has some supposedly mythical – and highly marketable – purposes. Upon arriving in the Tasmanian wilderness he takes up lodgings in the house of a zoologist who has been missing for some time, leaving his wife and children behind. In the coming months Martin finds himself warming to Lucy (Frances O’Connor) and her children, and begins to question the morals behind his chosen career.
A delicate subject that splits some sects of society, the themes of the Hunter are played out with constant tension and absolutely clear cut morals, the logging community are not portrayed in an sympathetic manner and the movie quickly gets to the point when it comes to its ethical stance; yet the characters and plot running below the surface of the movie are enough to captivate any audience member, regardless of political identity.
Based on a book by Sleeping Beauty’s Julia Leigh and directed by TV series connoisseur Daniel Nettheim, this is a quiet and unexpected movie that like the tiger sought within it stalks and threatens in a graceful and captivating fashion. The movie depicts the Tasmanian jungles as both beautiful and wild, with sweeping shots of the untamed darkness that were visually superb on the big screen, cinematically the film lures you into the deepest parts of the jungle before leaving you to search desperately through the intriguing narrative.
Dafoe completely envelops his character, bringing the mystery of the Tasmanian tiger and the missing zoologist to the forefront with a completeness that is totally captivating. A surprising casting choice at first Dafoe more than earns his keep by the start of act two and I genuinely feel that a more traditional casting of the action hero “mercenary” type role would have ruined this movie. The Hunter is not handled like an action movie, but with a depth and intrigue that only comes from true purveyors of the thriller genere. For those looking for something a little different, occasionally inflammatory and utterly riveting the Hunter is an absolutely perfect match.