A strange animal, even for an euro-western. This one is a UK film and stars Oliver Reed, Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen. The plot is rather minimal: A sadistic landowner (Hackman) learns that am outlaw (Reed) has kidnapped his wife (Bergen), and quickly convinces a group of friends, who were meeting for a hunting trip, to stalk and kill the band of outlaws, using the advantage their sniper rifles give them.
Trying to find some worthwile review of this film, I kept finding references to "The wild bunch". Nonsense. The only similarity is that every action scene ends up with a bloodbath, otherwise nothing to do. This film lacks any of the ideas or themes that made "The wild bunch" so unique, and instead focuses in the surface: two posses ride, one chasing and the other one escaping, there's plenty of shootings and a love story of sots between Bergen and Reed. Nothing else. An exercise of style? Maybe, but ultimately banal, as director Barry Shear can't avoid the film crying for some depth. Even as it is, it is a much better film than critics say, but ultimately that's because the cast does quite well, specially Oliver Reed. Apart from that, it's an intense but ultimately banal film.
6/10
Been wanting to see this one for a year now. Will get to it eventually. I really admire your Western journey Neville. Sounds like a brutal Western.
Certainly, it is a brutal film. It doesn't surprise me that the critics were so harsh, they probably thought it was trying to substitute talent by blood. I still find it interesting enough to watch it, but it is true that if the film tries to do something else, it fails at it.
Will keep that in mind when viewing, but I sure it's a good one.
I bought this DVD about a year ago and posted a thread after I watched it. I had been waiting for years to see it, and I'm glad I did. But I agree that it is nowhere near as good as THE WILD BUNCH (which is one of my favorites).
Actually that is when I first heard of THE HUNTING PARTY. When Burgomaster posted about it last year. Netflix has a copy.
(http://www.cineposters.com/home/Posters/71-190.jpg)
Has this film achieved cult status? It looks like the type of movie that does.
Only ever heard it spoken of here on this board. Here is a strong scene from the movie:
The Hunting Party (http://youtube.com/watch?v=RXcOkLeH-Ss)