Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Hunt to Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

When he hunts, he hunts to kill, as opposed to...maiming? tickling?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 28, 2010

He's like the Davy Crockett of the border patrol or whatever.

Hunt to Kill is a movie that's already been made about 300 times before ("they took his daughter; now they're going to pay!"), sometimes better, sometimes worse. Former professional wrestling champ Steve Austin's latest direct-to-video outing isn't going to open any eyes or mark a new era in Action filmmaking, but Hunt to Kill is a surprisingly decent, albeit recycled, genre picture that's fun to a point but grows old during a monotonous third act, just when the movie should reach its zenith. Instead, it merely goes through the motions of Austin hunting down the remaining bad guys one by one with the final conflict between protagonist-antagonist playing as a fairly dull beat-em-up with little in the way of novelty or excitement. Still, Austin gives the movie a larger-than-life presence to work with; he may not be Schwarzenegger or Stallone, but his imposing figure, quiet demeanor, and country boy looks seems the perfect fit for this generic but passably entertaining direct to video Action flick.

I'm giving you to the count of 0.03 to accurately guess how this movie ends.

Jim Rhodes (Steve Austin, The Stranger) is an experienced border patrol agent who loses his close friend and colleague in a meth lab raid along the Texas-Mexico border. Flash forward four years, and Rhodes is working the northern border in Montana, hoping to escape the memories and violence plaguing the Southern U.S. He's spending what he hopes will be a peaceful week off with his teenage daughter Kim (Marie Avgeropoulos). Meanwhile, a band of Las Vegas criminals, led by the vicious Banks (Gil Bellows, The Shawshank Redemption), has just pulled off the perfect heist, but one of their own has betrayed the rest and taken the money. They track him to a small Montana town where they begin their hunt in the local police station -- right when Kim has been taken after being arrested for shoplifting. Jim finds his daughter and the local sheriff held at gunpoint; he diffuses the situation by agreeing to help the criminals locate their rogue colleague and collect their money, while the criminals insist on keeping his daughter in tow as leverage and insurance. Little do they know that the "mountain man" tasked with helping them is a walking lethal weapon who will stop at nothing to protect his daughter's life.

Hunt to Kill's generic elements recall any number of Action movies, but there are two bigger and better pictures that spring immediately to mind throughout: Cliffhanger and First Blood. Hunt to Kill seems like the love child of these two classic Action pictures, but Austin's film somehow manages to lag far behind both movies. The similarities are obvious: hero outdoorsman is forced to help a criminal element traverse difficult terrain in search of missing money (Cliffhanger) and ultimately becomes a one-man wrecking crew in the woods of the Pacific Northwest who proves his skills as a survivalist and expert hunter with every kill (First Blood). Throw in the old "daughter in peril" element (Commando) and even a scene that's almost straight out Predator that features Austin crafting weapons from nature and camouflaging his face that surprisingly doesn't end with him holding up a torch and screaming at the top of his lungs, and Hunt to Kill's every major component is something lifted straight out of superior genre films. For all the unoriginality, though, Hunt to Kill manages to work as a decent time-waster; Action fans will enjoy picking out all of the similarities to other films, and the acting and production values are also just good enough to make this a better movie than it should have been considering both its paint-by-numbers structure and its DTV origins.

Other than the blatant ripoff vibe the movie emits, its other primary fault lies in its extraordinarily flat characters. Austin's Jim Rhodes is a typical larger-than-life figure who walks softly and carries a big stick. He lets his actions and physique do his talking, not that either of them ever really dissuade the typical array of bad guys who populate the film. Indeed, the film's criminal element is made of the usual mix of crazed, unrealistic villains who put themselves ahead of the group, leading to internal chaos and outright hatred and violence amongst themselves. For once it would be nice to see the bad guys working as a cohesive unit rather than a group of uncoordinated misfits who are destined to lose because they can't concentrate on the matters at hand. Gil Bellows sells his character rather well; he's the equivalent of John Lithgow's character in Cliffhanger, the de facto leader and most rational and focused of the group who slowly loses his mind as he comes to realize that he's defeated, not necessarily because the hero is bigger, stronger, and smarter, but because he surrounded himself with a bunch of morons who ruined the perfect plan. He loses all his screws by the end, and while the performance is over the top, Bellows sells it considering the circumstances. The film's worst character is easily Rhodes' daughter, Kim. She's completely unlikable to the point that it's hard to root for her survival save for only the basic humanity of the matter. She's rude, disrespectful, and painted as a repeat petty criminal. At leas in Commando, Matrix's daughter was a nice enough girl who was worth saving. Here, Kim is more of a prop than a real human being.

Hunt to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hunt to Kill features a good-looking 1080p transfer. Though shot on video and appearing rather flat throughout, the image does offer some character through its exceptionally strong detailing and fair coloring. Detail can look extraordinary in places; the border patrol uniforms as seen at the beginning of the film reveal every small texture, while viewers could pause the film and count Steve Austin's facial hairs in appropriately in-tight shots. Various terrains appear sharp and nicely detailed even at a distance, with only a few wilderness shots looking the slightest bit fuzzy. Colors are steady if not slightly drab by default; the entire movie takes place under rainy and/or overcast conditions, so there's little opportunity for even the brightest hues -- particularly the green foliage seen throughout the Montana wilderness exteriors -- to sparkle. The image is generally sharp as a tack and free of excess noise, even in some of the darker corners around the screen. Blacks and flesh tones are consistently solid, too. Some viewers may not like the smooth, glossy, and flat video look the film employs; nevertheless, this is a quality and technically-proficient transfer that does all it can with the material it has to work with. This is easily one of the nicer looking HD video movies-turned-Blu-ray out there.

Hunt to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hunt to Kill's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack gives off something of a quality but generic flavor, making it the perfect compliment to the movie. It delivers various atmospherics -- primarily in the form of a light-to-moderate drizzle that falls through much of the movie -- well enough; the surrounds are nicely engaged and the final effect proves mostly convincing. There isn't much more in the way of environmental ambience; a few cars pass across the front of the soundstage to good directional-specific effect, but otherwise, the track is mostly devoid of much in the way of noticeable supportive elements. The more pronounced action effects prove the track's best assets; a raging fire and subsequent explosion heard early in the film are delivered with a good precision and a fair bit of bass, while several gunshots scattered around the movie play with a a good deal of power. Dialogue is centered and consistently accurate. Hunt to Kill's soundtrack is proficient but not exemplary; it's a fine compliment to a decent direct to video Action movie, but this isn't going to become a go-to Action reference soundtrack. Listen for the end credits music that recalls Jerry Goldsmith's excellent "It's a Long Road" theme for First Blood.

Hunt to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hunt to Kill offers a couple of extras, and Steve Austin is nowhere to be found. Things kick off with an audio commentary track featuring Director Keoni Waxman and Actor Michael Eklund. Theirs is a rather superficial commentary that offers some basic insights into the making of the movie, but there's nothing at all groundbreaking or all that interesting here. Anecdotes from the set, basic filmmaking techniques, discussions of shooting locales, and plenty of back-and-forth banter fill most of the airtime. Diehard fans of the film might find value here, but most can skip this track and sleep well at night for it. Behind the Scenes of 'Hunt to Kill' (1080p, 8:07) begins with Actor Gil Bellows talking up his role and performance, followed by Actor Gary Daniels discussing fight choreography and the part he plays. The piece concludes with Bellows attempting to discuss the challenges and rewards of the shoot, flanked by Actors Michael Eklund and Emilie Ullerup. The piece is intercut with random behind-the-scenes footage. Also included is the Hunt to Kill trailer (1080p, 1:37).

Hunt to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For a few cheap thrills and a decent DTV experience, Hunt to Kill is hard to beat. Yes, the film doesn't have a proverbial original bone in its flat HD video body, but Austin brings a commanding, no-nonsense presence to the film that elevates it a few notches above where other generic stars might have allowed it to wallow in its repetitiousness and blatant unoriginality. Action fans have seen this movie countless time before, so there's really not much of a reason to give this one a watch; wrestling fans might want to check it out for Austin alone, but even considering that Hunt to Kill is a fair production with a couple of decent actors, a watchable pace, and fair entertainment value, it's the sort of movie best saved for a lazy evening when there's nothing else to watch. This Anchor Bay Blu-ray release of Hunt to Kill delivers a strong 1080p transfer, a serviceable lossless soundtrack, and a few extras (but where is Steve Austin?), making this a disc best enjoyed as a rental.