The Hunt was embroiled in a lot of controversies before it came out because, apparently, it talks about politics in a not so great light. Even though there are no great lights when it comes to politics, but hey, I digress. The poster for the movie says “The most talked about movie of the year is one that no one’s actually seen.” Which is typical for angry people who don’t know why they’re angry (remember Padmaavat?)
So anyway, The Hunt was supposed to release on September 27, 2019, but due to the aforementioned controversies it was pushed to March 13, 2020. The film was directed by directed by Craig Zobel and produced by Blumhouse Productions. According to writer Damon Lindelof and Zobel, the film serves as a satire for the political divide that exists between the American right and left. It stars Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Amy Madigan, Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee, and Hilary Swank.
I was kidnapped
The Hunt starts off with a text message exchange that should serve as a reminder of what’s to come. And then someone gets stabbed by a pen in the neck and then a shoe in the eye aboard an airplane. While you get over that, you find more people come to their senses in a field, with ball-gags over their mouths. Pretty soon most of them die and it’s a bloodbath.
The Hunt has loads of kills which makes it fun and entertaining to watch. There’s always something or the other happening that keeps you entertained. Not one moment of the movie will get you bored, or make you feel like, ok let’s skip this now.
There’s also this weird ambiguity for the first few minutes of the movie where you would be confused as to who the lead character is. Which is great, really. There were new characters introduced few minutes and the story starts following them. You get invested in the characters thinking that, yep this is it, until they die. So that also adds to the entertainment factor. When we do get to our main character, Crystal, well, she’s one of the most likeable characters I have seen in movies. Actually, most characters are very likeable. There wasn’t anyone who was too annoying, especially because no one stayed alive long enough. And that’s honestly great.
It’s a joke
I honestly didn’t get why The Hunt faced so much controversy. The movie is a satire and thus there are moments and scenes which pokes fun at people and are meant to be taken in humour. Which is probably a problem in today’s world, considering how no one can understand these things, and everything is taken too seriously. Some things just aren’t serious and this is one of them. The Hunt can be watched as an action-comedy, if you will – that’s how I watched it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Moving on, there was a scene at the last where Athena and Crystal fight each other. And we stan two strong women in a hand-to-hand combat. It was funny and very entertaining, and the fight sequences were also very well-done.
The star of the show, however, is Betty Gilpin. She’s very quiet but packs an amazing punch in every scene. She’s also very funny and every scene is so great that you won’t understand where all the time went. Throughout the movie, Gilpin’s Crystal doesn’t care about the situation around her and about anyone, and I honestly relate to that so bad.
Politics and politics
I don’t know which side The Hunt took, with regards to American politics. Because, probably, it didn’t take any side. The movie makes jokes at everyone’s expense. So, there were some that I also felt directed towards me, but hey, it was funny.
The question really remains is whether you like political satires, and if you have the ability to take it in good humour. I can kind of guess the answer, but again, I leave it to you.
But then again
A lot of people might not be able to identify with the characters in The Hunt or feel close to it because of the fact that not a lot is said about these characters throughout the movie. Most of the characters are there for a few minutes, and Crystal and Athena’s backstories are revealed at the fag end of the movie. Which I found to be perfectly fine, considering how entertaining the sequences were. But it might be a point of contention for some.
In the end, The Hunt is a movie that might leave you polarised. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t leave you chuckling while keeping you glued to your screen.