Echoing Francis Ford Coppola's APOCALYPSE NOW, William Friedkin's THE HUNTED opens with a close-up of the protagonist, Aaron Hallam (Benicio Del Toro), a Special Ops soldier who is witnessing atrocities in Kosovo. His battle stress soon turns him into a killing machine, as he murders hunters in the Oregon woods. Meanwhile, L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) is living a solitary existence in the Pacific Northwest, rescuing wolves and living off the land. The Feds lure Bonham out of retirement, since he was responsible for training Hallam--and might be the only person alive who can stop him.
Combining elements of RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD, in which Richard Crenna played the only man who could stop the battle-fatigued Sylvester Stallone, with THE PARK IS MINE, in which Jones played a Vietnam veteran who took over Central Park and booby-trapped it, THE HUNTED is an exciting chase film that is infused with a compelling streak of humanity amid all the blood and gore. Del Toro and Jones are both excellent, conveying a father-and-son-like relationship that is filled with intrigue. Johnny Cash's talk-rendition of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61" opens and closes the film with gusto.
Theatrical Release: March 14, 2003
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Widescreen
Audio:
Dolby Surround - English, French
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French
Additional Release Material:
Alternate Scenes - Deleted Scenes (6)
Audio Commentaries - William Friedkin - Director
Behind the Scenes - 1. "Pursuing THE HUNTED"
2. "Filming THE HUNTED"
3. "Tracking THE HUNTED"
4. "The Cutting Edge"
Trailers - Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Tracks:
1. Kosovo, 1999
2. Lone Wolf
3. No Reverence
4. A Hard Man to Find
5. Tracking Hallam
6. A Killing Machine
7. Sweepers
8. Like a Father
9. Irene and Loretta
10. In the Tunnels
11. City Camouflage
12. Preparing for Battle
13. Kill Me a Son
14. Credits
Director of Photography
Caleb Deschanel: Director/Director of Photography
Additional Music/Songs
Johnny Cash: American C&W Singer/Actor; The Man in Black
Review 1:
"...The landscapes of wilderness, city, and movie-set Kosovo are finely delineated by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.82 03/21/2003
Review 2:
"...As Jones tracks Del Toro, the movie stays close to their immediate physical experience....Surprisingly effective..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.5 04/06/2003
Review 3:
"...The visceral violence is razor sharp..."
Source: Total Film
p.95 07/01/2003
Review 4:
"...An efficient nuts-and-bolts thriller....Shot with striking thematic continuity....This is muscular film-making at its most instinctive..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.47-8 08/01/2003