It takes a while for The Hunters to get going, but once it does you wont come out feeling disappointed. The plot revolves around two separate stories that connect together in the end. On one side we have the police officer Le Saint. He’s new to town, and is determined to solve a series of missing persons cases that he is convinced are all linked together. On the other side we have a group of friends that find their every day lives far too mundane, and so every weekend get together for a hunting excursion – their pray, the most dangerous game.
If there is one thing director Chris Briant has got right with The Hunters, it’s the feel of the film. With an almost perfect blend of subtle music and striking visuals, Briant creates an incredibly unsettling atmosphere. The film’s prime location, an abandoned fort, is a brilliant mix of vast woods and decrepit building, and is an impressive sight to behold.
Briant also successfully moulds some very believable characters, without needing to feed us too much information on them. Whether we agree or disagree with the decisions these characters make, we believe that they are the same decisions that would be made in reality. There is a hint at a possible future relationship for Le Saint. And although not much time in the film is spent dwelling on this, as an audience we can’t help but think things for the possible couple are going to work out nicely. This wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the well-rounded, and successfully crafted characters that Briant brings to the table.
For most of the film, The Hunters feels like a crime-melodrama, and it isn’t until the final twenty minutes that the body count starts to add up in true horror movie fashion. Between excessive shootings and violent stabbings, there is plenty of vivid killing to keep the strongest of horror fans entertained. There is also a scene that hosts a number of severed heads all on display like hunting trophies.
Despite the leap into horror territory at the end of the film, it in no way discredits the slow crime-style build up that leads up to it. Everything feels very fluid, and it is a testament to the filmmaker that this is the case.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Well-crafted characters and a strong build-up help to make this a very entertaining flick.
