Deers Sort Of Getting Their Revenge

For the first time in almost half a year, I have reached double digits! I admit that I wasn't so sure I would when this month began. I think what helped me get back into the mood was that I had so many movies to watch lately. With the Instant Watch stuff ending, which I am still writing about now, and then watching all those movies at the convention as well. Not all of these movies have been all that exciting to write about, but I at least feel the desire to write about movies and such again. Being off all week has helped too. I don't feel so pressed for time. The next movie I watched a while back was called The Hunt (2006). If you look closely at the movie poster for this one, you will probably get the general idea of what is doing the hunting.

Jack (Joe Michael Burke) has an idea about making hunting videos. He believes that what is out there for hunting videos doesn't cover how to hunt with a bow very well. So he teams up with his friend Atticus (Robert Rusler), who was once a camera man for a news station. Because of that, Jack feels that Atticus has an eye for detail. Jack is also using this as a way to bond with his stepson Clint (Mitchell Burns). After getting some funding from his father-in-law (Cliff De Young), they set out to hunt down a deer.When they first get to the area they will be hunting in, they are warned off by some guy. Since they paid to hunt on the land, they head in anyway. After tracking and wounding a deer, they follow it to a fenced in area. Having not found another deer all day, and wanting to get all their footage, they go into the fenced in area and become the hunted. Days later a search party is sent in to find them. What happened that caused them to disappear?

The Hunt is a low budget film by co-writer/director Fritz Kiersch. I found it a little confusing at first because there are two stories going on. There is the story about Jack and Atticus, and there is the story of Jon (the father-in-law) trying to find out what happened. There is a constant back and forth between the two stories. Dates are provided, and the time of day is always given. This does help a little so we know which story is being followed, but I found the constant time showing up to be annoying. It doesn't help move the plot along at all so why bother? In a way the second story serves a purpose by cutting back to it. Before we get to know the characters, we find out that something happens to them that causes them to disappear. We find out that the government has shut down the search, but why? There is also a scene where someone is found, but Kiersch is smart enough not to reveal who until after the main story gets to that point. So in a way, despite the annoying back and forth, it does serve a purpose of helping to build suspense.

There isn't really anything for effects as far as gore goes, but the things that do the killing are interesting looking to some degree. Even though it is probably obvious what the things are, I'm still trying to spoil the twist. The things look cool, but the use of CGI to make them appear to move super fast. The acting wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. While all the main actors could have been a little better at times, I still didn't have any major complaints about anyone. I especially liked Joe Michael Burke. I liked his acting even more so when he was being host for the video they were making. He should consider doing that for real.

If you don't know the directors name, he also directed that 1984 version of Children Of The Corn. I didn't know it at the time but I found it pretty cool. I haven't watched anything else that he has directed so far though. For me it was his first directors job, and his last...so far anyway. Anyway, I was starting to wonder if anything exciting was going to happen in The Hunt. Hunting animals isn't exciting for me, but the second story about the search for them did keep it interesting a little bit at least. I still think the two stories could have been handled a little better to make it less confusing. Even so, The Hunt wasn't an all that bad of a movie. Not a great film, and I'm sure many will find it to be too slow. If it does sound interesting to you though, give it a watch someday.
3 out of 5 Would have been more fun if the twist was deers getting their revenge