The Hunt (2020) | Film Review

The Most Dangerous Game, Hard Target, The Hunger Games – hunting human beings for sport is not a novel concept. And party conflicts, both real and online (which is only reality based on your perception of it), are also nothing new. Political division between Red and Blue has been around for quite some time. Yet the basic premise for Blumhouse’s latest topical nightmare – The Hunt – feels somewhat fresh and indicative of the moment we are currently living in. You know, the one where seemingly civilized people are more likely to erupt into an uncomfortable game of “who’s outrage is bigger” or attack a person’s character with cheap shots and rhetoric rather than search for common ground.

The Hunt kicks things off immediately on a private jet where the Have-Nots (very much implying rednecks or anyone with a love of guns or immigration reform on the Red side of the political divide) have been doped and dumped for a private excursion elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Haves (yes, these are the rich, better-than-you, everything is a cause, SJWs of the Blue side) arranged this little getaway – rumored around the internet to be known as The Manor – where they intend to hunt and slaughter these “deplorables” before retiring to a mansion for a weekend of laughs.

A cast of many familiar actors afford us plenty of people to cheer on in the early goings, but the one the Blues hadn’t quite counted on is the resourcefully dangerous Crystal (Betty Gilpin). A woman of means, determination, and sheer ass-beating ability, Crystal sees this game for what it is and has no intention of playing by their rules.

The political debates on either side sparked in The Hunt are nowhere near as nuanced as Knives Out, these are blatant barbs launched willy-nilly. Gender identification, the 2^nd Amendment, climate change; the gang’s all here and their arrival is about as subtle as a jackhammer during a Christmas prayer. Which is about what one would expect when Damon Lindelof (along with Nick Cuse) is one of the screenwriters.

Lindelof is one of the most literal writers out there, blindly cascading past metaphors as if they were jagged spikes laid wildly along his path of personal ideology. Though there is an effort to paint a “fair picture” of both sides of political parties, it would be a disservice if I failed to acknowledge that aside from Crystal, there is barely a blip of comparable intelligent life on the Red aisle present.

Those concerns aside, The Hunt is hellacious fun! From the opening minutes until the final frame, director Craig Zobel keeps the film moving at a blistering pace. We kick things off with our characters deep in their predicament, as if SAW began in a field and instead of a puppet, rich hippies rigged all of the puzzles. From there on out, it is one set-piece to the next, and eventually we come to follow Crystal as she turns the tables and begins a hunt of her own.

Though there is a notable cast of actors here (2-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank being the obvious standout as the devious leader of the pack) it cannot be misstated: Betty Gilpin IS the star of The Hunt. Each and every frame she is on screen, Gilpin dominates the camera like The Rock dominates Instagram. Fans of Netflix’s GLOW are fully aware of Gilpin’s talent, but her fluidly brutal action sequences and electrifyingly charismatic performance – akin to unleashing a wild lion into a mildly prepared suburb – is worth the price of admission itself. Her final battle is already a contender for the best movie fight of the year, and it’s only March. Rarely do I screen a film and walk out thinking we need another franchise, but if any filmmakers are looking for a new action star: Betty Gilpin is ready and waiting to beat your ass.

Occasionally ham-fisted with its dissection of American politics and social constructs, The Hunt is nonetheless a crazily entertaining film that zips by its 90 minutes with nary a moment to check your watch. With a lead performance worthy of its own trilogy of films, this one is definitely worth braving current conditions and stalking out a seat at the cineplex.