Twelve strangers wake up in a wooded area with gags locked into their mouths. They see a big crate in the middle of an empty field and break it open. Inside they find the keys to unlock the gags, as well as a series of very serious guns and weapons with which to defend themselves. It’s right about then that a sniper starts opening fire. Everyone scatters, and people die quickly as the remaining survivors try and figure out what’s going on. They know they’re being hunted, but by whom and why? Crystal (Betty Gilpin), the smartest of the survivors, goes on the run, only to find that the hunters have plans and contingencies, and pretty soon, the only way out is to go back and kill them all. Can Crystal succeed, or will she end up slaughtered like the others?
The Hunt had a troubled history as far as getting to the screen. Back in 2019 it was supposed to come out in September but something horrible happened in real life that maybe the movie prophetically reflected, so they pulled the screening, planning it for March 2020. This was just in time for Covid to hit and empty all the theaters. So it went to PPV and now to Blu Ray, and the movie deserves to be seen, whatever format you choose. First, and most importantly, it’s a really good action/exploitation flick and warrants viewing for that reason alone. It’s a clever twist on the “Most Dangerous Game of All” trope and the trials and tribulations Crystal has to go through just to survive are all tricky and grueling. So on a surface level, it more than succeeds, nailing the action and blood and drama. Now, on to the politics of the matter. This isn’t going to sit well with some folks, and that’s okay. Mainly, the plot is concerned with a bunch of Trump supporters being hunted down by so-called “liberal elites” because they are deplorable and not worthy of breathing air. While this might sound offensive (and it is, on so many levels), it’s also satire, and that’s something to keep in mind. The movie skewers both contingents of people, showing how “both sides” are really just gross and, sadly, much alike when it comes right down to it. Both consider themselves the smarter, the more superior, the more worthy of survival, and both are downright reprehensible. Crystal isn’t really a part of either group (that’s the twist I don’t want to really give away) so she’s above it all and yet, quite helplessly caught in the crossfire of this literal culture war. Crystal represents most of American society, wishing both sides would shut the fuck up so she can get on with simply surviving another day. I can see why this movie might make people angry, but if you’re a rational-thinking person who isn’t a snowflake (see what I did there?), you can figure out this is satire and that it’s equally scathing towards everyone.
So yes, rent or buy The Hunt if you want a movie that kicks ass on the surface and twists your brain while it’s at it. This movie deserves an audience and especially one before the big election this fall, where we’ll be more divided than ever. The Hunt shows you what happens when people don’t think, when they take their rhetoric to (un)natural levels. And guess what? It ain’t pretty.
★★★☆