Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Hunt Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson June 16, 2020

The ultra-violent political satire The Hunt has had a difficult road in getting seen. It was delayed following the mass shootings in El, Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio last August. Additionally, the pre-release vitriol about its acerbic Blue versus Red state battle caused, at least in part, its postponement till early March when it was screened for critics. Then, COVID-19 hit so Universal and the filmmakers put it on VOD and now on Blu-ray. Producer Jason Blum has stated in press interviews that nothing in The Hunt has been changed since the movie wrapped post-production.

A group of well-off "liberal elites" has captured a dozen or so "deplorables" (as its ringleader prefers to call them) who are based in mostly American Southern states. The hostages have been transported in a spacious aircraft (which looks more like a sci-fi spacecraft with its light blue and pink illuminated cabin lights) where they've been drugged and rendered comatose. One has awoken early, however, and the film makes no bones about its S&M politics when the flight's "doctor" maltreats him. On the following morning, the groggy hostages are unloaded on to a grassy meadow in what's supposed to be rural Arkansas. They're gagged in black rubber but seem to be "gifted" with a cache of weapons to defend themselves. A man pries open a large crate where an appareled pig (appropriately named "Orwell" due to the film's dystopian theme and nod to Animal Farm) first squiggles out. Inside, the man finds an arsenal of machine guns, which unbeknownst to the strangers, they will need since snipers will be firing soon. The Hunt riffs Richard Connell's 1924 short story and eponymous 1932 film adaptation The Most Dangerous Game and announces its own deadly game.

After surviving a gory battle in the field, some of the victims flee to a convenience store owned by Ma (Amy Madigan) and Pop (Reed Birney), who are held by gunpoint until help supposedly will come along. Ma and Pop have other ideas, smoke-bombing and firing away at their unwelcome visitors. The shop's husband/wife duo are alerted that a certain "Snowflake" also will be arriving and asked if they need any aid. They decline, predicting that they can handle Crystal (Betty Gilpin), a worker at a Mississippi car dealership, on their own. Ma and Pop either forget or don't know that she's also an Afghanistan veteran and super fighter. From here on, The Hunt belongs all to Crystal.

This ain't Babe. It's Orwell!

The Hunt superficially engages in the core issues that have bitterly divided Americans over the last four years. Among them: the Second Amendment, economic inequities, race relations, climate change, illegal immigration, to name just a few. I would have liked to see the movie probe these hot-button topics more fully in dialogue exchanges as well in the visuals. There are some sly pop-cultural references sprinkled throughout which also hint at the issues but they get lost in the blood-splattering malaise. The Hunt does succeed at interrogating identity-issue politics when adversaries collide. No one is really purported to be as they seem even after they've been researched, surveilled, and targeted. That and Betty Gilpin's blistering performance make The Hunt an engrossing watch.

The Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Hunt makes its global premiere on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. This fifth feature directed by Craig Zobel appears in its originally photographed ratio of 2.40:1. Cinematographer Darran Tiernan's lensing is often suffused with a cold and pallid tone that makes the image look rather dreary with sparse sunlight. The only negative is the picture can appear a tad soft. It is very sharp overall, though. The rural scenes for the big game hunt do show off the thick blades of green grass in the wide open field (see Screenshot #s 1 & 10). Skin tones vary from pale white to light tan to ruddy on the actors. I don't suspect any manipulation of them in post. Blood splatter is dark red (e.g., #4). The movie was shot on the Sony CineAlta Venice and this transfer displays no digital artifacts. Universal has encoded the feature at a mean video bitrate of 27268 kbps.

The 90-minute feature receives twenty scene selections.

The Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround (4949 kbps, 24-bit) as the default audio track. This is a sonorous mix with deep, rich, and pulsating sounds. Spoken words come across as crystal clear along the fronts. Composer Nathan Barr's music opens with a militaristic march that segues into prominent strings and brass scored for the action scenes throughout the film. The surround channels pick up on every fired bullet, arrow, zinger, and punch thrown. Ricochets and blood splatters move across the rears and show distinct separation from one speaker to the next. This is an outstanding track.

Universal provides optional English SDH. I watched the movie a second time with them turned on and they deliver an accurate and complete transcription of the recorded dialogue. Spanish and French subtitles are also available.

The Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Crafting THE HUNT (5:04, 1080p) - the first and longest of three very brief mini-featurettes on the making of The Hunt. We hear from producer Jason Blum, director/executive producer Craig Zobel, co-writer/producer Damon Lindelof, co-writer/executive producer Nick Cuse, production designer Matthew Munn as well as actors Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, and Ike Barinholtz. Each interviewee explains what s/he thinks the movie is really about. Costumes are also discussed. Some spoiler-filled clips are interspersed between the comments so don't watch this piece until after you've seen The Hunt. If you wait till after the end credits are done, it will play automatically along with the two other featurettes. This and the other two use the MPEG-4 encode. In English, not subtitled.

• Death Scene Breakdowns (2:36, 1080p) - a glimpse into how makeup and effects were done for some of the most bloody moments in the film. We hear more remarks from Lindelof, Zobel, Barinholtz, and Blum. New participants include stunt coordinators Hank Amos and Heidi Moneymaker, Lauren Thomas (head of the makeup department) as well as actors Chris Berry and Sylvia Grace Crim. In English, not subtitled.

• Athena vs. Crystal: Hunter or Hunted? (2:42, 1080p) - a look at a major fight sequence in the movie. Several interviewees from the other segments give their thoughts here as well. In English, not subtitled.

The Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Hunt is definitely more successful as a rip-roaring, blood-and-guts action thriller than it is as a deep and probing commentary on the contemporary sociopolitical landscape. It's nowhere near as polarizing and provocative a critique of the Red versus Blue state politics that it advertises itself as such. It occasionally works as an allegory over the great divide afflicting partisan ideologues and their identity politics. Betty Gilpin truly comes into her own as a bonafide action heroine. Also, it's clever how screenwriters Nick Cuse and Damon Lindel conceptualized part of Hilary Swank's Athena based on the two-time Oscar winner's roles (and stunt work) in The Next Karate Kid (1994) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). Universal's BD-50 delivers a very sharp high-def transfer and reference-quality 7.1 sound. I wish the bonus materials had been stretched out much longer. I recommend The Hunt with some reservations (it's not for the faint of heart).