The Hunter Review

Hunter, The
Martin David (Dafoe) is commissioned by a dodgy biotech corporation to hunt down the last Tasmanian tiger, believed by most to be extinct. Lodging with depressed widow Lucy (O'Connor) and her two children blindly awaiting their father's return from the forests, David also ends up caught in an environmental crossfire and with a tracker (Neill) who seems to have it in for him. You guessed it, the hunter becomes the hunted.

by Kim Newman |
Published on
Release Date:

06 Jul 2012

Running Time:

101 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Hunter, The

Hired gun Martin David (Willem Dafoe) is commissioned by an unethical biotech outfit to hunt and kill the last of a supposedly extinct species, the Tasmanian tiger. Venturing into dangerous forests he seeks the animal, and comes to understand his own position as an endangered species. Adapted from a novel by Julia Leigh (writer-director of Sleeping Beauty) and skilfully directed by Daniel Nettheim, this is a quiet, philosophical thriller with a great sense of desolate landscape, fine, low-key performances and a slightly elusive message about finding yourself in the wilderness.

A slow-burning, beautifully shot, understated philosophical thriller.
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