Hunt Club (2023)

Hunt Club (2023)

When you read in capital letters ‘HUNTING SEASON JUST GOT A LOT MORE DEADLY,’ it’s not exactly what makes you want to see this film.

When I see: ‘Energetic, captivating and highly entertaining.’ – Markos Papadatos, The Digital Journal… how can I put this…

Cassandra has just lost her girlfriend and daughter and is now desperately seeking help by any means possible. That’s when Carter, a hunter, enters the scene and offers her the chance to win $100,000, on condition that she takes part in a hunt on his private island. She quickly discovers that there are other women on the island who are being used as prey in this hunt. With their help, she turns the tables and shows that women are ultimately better hunters than men.

So, basically, I have to admit that I like the idea of a manhunt on a desert island or a huge territory! However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a good film on the subject. Yes, there was an episode of The Incredible Hulk in the 1970s where the hero was hunted in the same way… and I think that’s the best one to date.

Apex (2021) is the same kind of film. We know that these films with Bruce Willis are often disastrous. On the other hand, The Hunt (2020), with Betty Gilpin and Hilary Swank, is probably one of the better ones. It’s certainly brutal, but it’s unpredictable and still good.

It’s a real pleasure to see Mena Suvari (American Beauty, Locked In, Stuck, Trauma…) again, even though she’s never been too far away, as she’s always been active (including in a series), but never had the success she deserved, in my opinion. She’s not the one who makes films bad.

The same cannot be said for Casper Van Dien! When he’s around, you can usually expect a dud. The only one that was still passable was Starship Troopers (1997), but when I think back to The Pact (2012), The Flood (2023), Night Eyes 4 (1996) or Mad Heidi (2022), I can only laugh bitterly.

As for Mickey Rourke, it’s pretty much the same story! We know he hasn’t made a good film in a long time. Sure, he doesn’t take himself too seriously in the first Expendables (2010), but he’s already gone in the second one. He had already starred alongside Stallone in Get Carter (2000). He is, however, very credible as a villain in Iron Man 2 (2010), but not here! I think he will forever be the male actor from 9½ Weeks (1986) in people’s minds. I still haven’t seen The Wrestler (2008), but I think he must have impressed quite a few people over there. For my part, I find his very short role in The Pledge (2001) extraordinary. He really delivers a beautiful little performance of about five minutes.

There you go! As for the director, Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, she seems like another angry feminist, but a very clumsy one at that. I’m not going to say she’s off to a good start in her career, because after making something this bad, it’s going to be hard to bounce back. I don’t like to say that ‘you either have talent or you don’t’, but unfortunately, that’s the case here.

The intro is unappetising, there’s nothing incredible about it. The actors don’t deliver memorable performances. The plot twists are poorly executed or predictable. The film lacks credibility and makes you laugh, even though it’s not intentionally hilarious.

Will Sayre, from MovieWeb, gave the film a negative review, calling it ‘an uneven and often difficult to watch B-movie.’ He took the words right out of my mouth! And to think that it’s supposed to be an action-packed thriller.

Only the character played by Maya Stojan, an American actress of Swiss origin, makes the film a little more enjoyable. Maya was born in 1986 and grew up in Geneva. She is known for her recurring roles as Tory Ellis in Castle and Kara Palamas in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

You can safely avoid this film, unless you love B movies and the worst films.