[Review] The Hunt(2020) {7/10}

Directed by Craig Zobe with a screenplay from Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof, the film stars Betty Gilpin (Crystal Creasey), Ike Barinholtz (Staten Island), Amy Madigan (Ma), Emma Roberts (Yoga Pants), Ethan Suplee (Gary), and Hilary Swank (Athena Stone). Jason Blum was a producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner, along with Lindelof. Both Zobel and Lindelof have said that the film is intended as a satire on the profound political divide between the American left and right.

The plot follows a woman named Athena (Hilary Swank) who texts with a group of liberal friends. They're discussing "the hunt," in which they'll go out and kill a group of "deplorables." Later, a man wakes up to find himself on a plane. The well-dressed people he sees tell him he "woke up too soon" and kill him. Then more people wake up, gagged, in the woods. They discover a crate full of guns and other weapons and, before long, they're being shot at and killed. Only Crystal (Betty Gilpin) seems wise enough to stay a jump ahead of her tormenters. Using her wits and some kind of elite training, she fights her way to the end of the puzzle and faces off with its chief architect, Athena. But nothing is quite as it seems.

Director Craig Zobel, who also questioned the worst of human behavior in Compliance, and co-writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof (Watchmen TV series), start The Hunt with a series of shocks. They break all the rules and let us know that anything is possible, that whatever is going to happen will likely happen before we're ready for it. The movie is smooth, fast-moving, and intricately designed. If it has a flaw, it lies in Gilpin's Crystal. She's amazingly cool, resourceful, and appealing in her slow, thoughtful way of speaking. But she tips the balance of the political satire, making it not quite an equal roasting of both sides. However, she's so fascinating and mysterious that it's easy to forgive. Insanely gory but also fiendishly funny, this clever dark satire takes a familiar scenario and uses it to boldly skewer both red and blue Americans, painting both sides as equally absurd. What's certain is that horror fans of all political persuasions will gleefully celebrate the generous amount of blood, guts, gore, and severed body parts on display in this hard-R violent satire. The Hunt showcases top-notch acting and its elaborate set-pieces are quite inventive. It's worth a look on the big screen if you're a fan of the genre.

The Hunt is now available on Digital and Blu-ray.