The Hunt Movie Review

The Hunt (2020)

Rent The Hunt on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Nick Cuse & Damon Lindelof (written by)
Directed by: Craig Zobel
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Sturgill Simpson, Glenn Howerton, Macon Blair
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen for a very specific purpose, The Hunt.

Verdict
If you can stomach a bit of gore, this is a creative and inventive thriller that makes hunting humans political, taking shots at both American parties. It's clear the writers know the genre, subverting expectations throughout. A bit of an uneven political satire as it makes a few easy jokes, but that's to fill space between the violence and twisting narrative. It's the kind of movie where I want it to have a message or meaning, but unfortunately it doesn't.
Watch It.

Review
From the beginning this is over the top with extreme gore and exaggerated political stereotypes. This is part The Purge and part The Most Dangerous Game. While starting with a text thread seems boring and starting in the woods would be a better option, by the end it's clear why this starts as a text thread. Also the text thread sets a tone for the movie that we wouldn't get otherwise.

This jumps right into it, getting very gory. This toys with the audience, making us guess at who the main character might be. Few movies defy expectations like that. I expected the hunted to team up and figure out how to survive, but this isn't that kind of movie. The typical things movies like this do, this one avoids. It's completely wild, and this movie kills nearly everyone. It's a dark comedy, but just barely on the comedic aspect.

Betty Gilpin plays Crystal.

Liberal elites are hunting human. There's certainly funny moments with crisis actors and the frequent use of grenades becomes absurd. There's a hint of Black Mirror's White Bear, but this doesn't quite develop the satire. White Bear exaggerates aspects of society. With The Hunt, there's not a message here, it's just exaggerating stereotypes. It's not particularly deep. Not that it has to be, but it would provide something to think about after the credits.

This is an inventive movie with a twisting plot. I want it to do more. The aspects about internet conspiracy theories and trolls are a great starting point, but the movie doesn't do enough with them. This is the kind of movie that feels like there should be an underlying message, and that just isn't developed.