Rating: 
Summary: This Old-Fashioned Thriller Suffers from a Banal Script
Review: "The Hunted" (not to be confused with a 1995 ninja flick) may satisfy some of the fans of old-fashioned thrillers, but for all its authentic, bloody fighting between the two capable leads Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro, this film is rather a missed opportunity. And how many times did Mr. Jones play the hunter's role since "The Fugitive"?You can see what's coming after the introductory scenes where Del Toro's character, elite soldier Aaron, is sent for a mission to kill in Kosovo. Traumatized by the most cruelly executed battle, he apparently loses his sanity, before he commits a series of ritualistic murder deep in the forests of Oregon. Now a retired agent and Aaron's former trainer L.T. Bonham played by Tommy Lee Jones steps in reluctantly, and with a help of FBI agent Abby Durrell (Connie Nielsen, "Gladiator") L.T. chases the deadly killer in the woods, using one of the most unique techiniques employed in the thrillers, that of a tracker. It is reported that the character of L.T is based on famous tracker Tom Brown Jr., who gave techinical advice to the cast and crew during the shooting. One of the most interesting aspects of the film is. or should have been, that part. Unfortunately, however, I find the film fails to use much of Mr. Brown's knowledge as a tracker (who chases animals or humans, picking up the clues like footprints or stomped plants, in the same way as is seen in "The Last of the Mohicans"). I expected much from watching the film this techinical things, but that kind of knowledge might be difficult ot be translated into visual media. As a cat-and-mouse thriller, "The Hunted" is greatly helped by William Friedkin's taut skills to enhance the atmosphere of the place. Basically in the same vein of old-fashioned masters like Don Siegel, Friedkin can envision the place with realistic touch -- thanks also to cameraman Caleb Deschanel ("Fly Away Home," Jodie Foster's "Anna and the King" and many others) -- and the veteran director is also good at inducing the actors to give their best, even though female roles are rendered too insignificant. But, to be honest, the film's script suffers from its too many clithes. You just don't believe the story when it is presented with the episodes which we have witnessed many times before. See how agents in suits turn up at the exact moment when you expect they do. And see how those guys meet their fate in a most banal way when they should have known that they are dealing with the solider decorated with a silver medal. It is too unbelievable. The most frightening part of the film is the scenes when the characters reveal the art of killing (taken from Philiphine martial arts "Kali"). The matter-of-factness of Tommy Lee Jones teaching his pupils how to kill is perhaps more realistic and shocking than the not-so-exceptional chases between the hunter and the hunted, or the film's analogy of son and father relationship.
Rating:
Summary: A Rambo Remake--With Knife Fighting to Boot!
Review: "The Hunted" is a nice action film that follows in the footsteps of "First Blood." It was filmed right here in Portland, Oregon, so Oregonians will get a kick out of seeing Portland become the battlefield for several chase scenes. The script of this film is quite bad. While I like Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro, their lines seem to be quite awkwardly delivered. I'm not quite sure about the reason for this. Jones seems to be playing a character he has played before and rushes his lines without giving us any sense of why he is doing so. Despite this setback, the film does achieve much in the action sequences and does a pretty good job when no one is speaking. Furthermore, I enjoyed the fact that I had a hard time taking sides in this film. It is unclear who the "bad guy" is, and the only real candidate for the slot is the government. I really enjoyed the knife fighting sequences in this film. They look exceptionally realistic and more down-to-earth than many other knife fighting scenes I have viewed over the years (think Segal). The survival and tracking aspects of this film will awaken any outdoor enthusiast and make him or her want to head out for the wild. I enjoyed all of these sequences and even wanted more of them. All in all, while I was entertained by this film, it drags in many sections and I would have liked to see the characters develop themselves more. As far as the special features are concerned, the documentaries are quite interesting-particularly the one on Tom Brown, the tracking and survival expert used to give the film a realistic feel.
Rating: 
Summary: THE HUNTED
Review: Give this film a second chance, a lot of people thinks it sucks!
This is a raw bare to the bone action film with two quality actors. Benicico Del Toro is chilling as an unhinged military specialist;with his deadly uses of knifes. The first twenty minutes show this in spectacular fashion. Tommy Lee Jones may have played his hunter act one time too many, but he is really effective.
People may accuse William Friedkin of being a director for hire in his later work, he still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
For example The last knife fight at the end of the film is grossly effective.
Rating:
Summary: Good action flick!
Review: I can rate this as high as I can, because it actually gives Benicio Del Toro a name! Every other movie he's in and you think of drugs! I really liked the action with the knives, although it kind of played out like The Fugitive, but hey, you can't please everyone. For some reason, Tommy Lee Jones seemed a little more toned down than usual, but he still played an awesome role! The special features were great too! Not bad, not bad at all.
Rating:
Summary: PREDICTABLE PLOT VERY WELL EXECUTED
Review: If you've seen the trailer for this film, you know it's basically about Tommy Lee Jones chasing down Benicio del Toro, a former special ops assassin-type (trained by Jones) who has gone more than a little "wacko" after seeing so much violence and senseless brutality (and engaged in some himself). We see delToro on special-assignment in Kosova, where he tracks down and slays (with a particularly nasty looking knife) a vicious mass-murderer. During the hunt for this man, Del Toro witnesses all sorts of atrocities (played out with some brutality for us to see) and this would seem to send him round the bend. Some time later, he's being hunted by his "own people" and after leading them on a merry chase through the woods, he quickly and viciously dispatches them, now becoming "the hunted" in a major way, because the FBI brings Jones in to track him down. Jones was the teacher (and father figure, we're told), but he never killed anyone himself. He's working deep in the wilderness of British Columbia, helping the native wolf population, and is reluctant to go. But he goes anyway (we're never told why) to the Portland, OR area to track Del Toro and bring him in. Tracking seems to involve an uncanny ability to look at a piece of moss and know who was there, when, which way he was going and whether he's hiding up or down. Obviously Jones is brilliant tracker, but we get NO sense of how it's done...and we're not convinced anyone COULD do it. Del Toro is caught, then escapes (of course) then is tracked down again (at his GIRLFRIEND'S house...we have no idea how he met this woman and how he could possibly have ingratiated himself with her...he's so dirty and crazy!). Anyway, he gets away again, leaving bodies in his wake, and finally he and Jones have their big showdown. Have I spoiled it for you? I don't think so...the movie plays out SO predicatably. There are truly no surprises...if you've seen the trailer, you know where this movie is headed. However, there are two major redeeming qualities that make the movie watchable: 1) The acting: Jones is always an amusing presence. He's toned the "humor" he usually brings to his portrayals and his a bit more vulnerable than usual. Physically, he's tough, but emotionally he's a mess, full of twitches, social shyness and, in close-up, a great sadness. His wrinkly, pock-marked face works well for him in this role. Del Toro is a bit iffier. He's so understated sometimes, you can't tell if he's acting that way on purpose or not. He's interesting to look at and has some charisma, but I would have liked to have seen a little more inner-torment. We're supposed to sympathize with him to some degree, but we don't really. Finally, Connie Nielsen, as the FBI agent in charge of the case (and in over her head, of course) is a nice presence in a VERY underwritten role. She can be SO good (Gladiator, One Hour Photo, and the only good performance in Mission to Mars) and in this movie, I couldn't help but think it would be nice if someone gave her a truly meaty starring role. She's a little older than current suspence favorites like Ashley Judd or Sandra Bullock (MURDER BY NUMBERS), but she has a believable gravitas (can't believe I just used that word!!). 2: The fights: Jones and Del Toro famously did all their own fight scenes and it shows. The camera gets nice and close on these guys and they really look like they're hurting each other and struggling with each other. In their big climactic fight, the director was smart enough to have no musical soundtrack...just the sounds of nature (rushing water) and their own grunts and yelps and heavy breathing. Although these aren't SPECTACULAR fights (a la THE MATRIX) they have a certain gritty reality. Lots of painful, bloody stabbing and such. If you're used to PG-13 violence...these stabbings earn their R rating. Again, the movie is predictable in its plotting and writing, but its stars and stellar director William Friedkin probably get just about all they could out of it. If the plot sounds like your cup of tea, you could do worse than renting this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Rambo Remake!
Review: Benicio Del Toro is a great actor, and so is Tommy Lee Jones, but great actors can't save a movie with a tired plot. The story is pretty similar to Rambo and U.S Marshalls and I couldn't help but think this was a redo of U.S Marshalls, only this time it was Del Toro instead of Snipes. As with most other action films, the plot had to be fairly simple, so as not to confuse the audience *sarcasm here*, and this is where most action-thrillers seem to fail for me, they are virtually plotless. The film does not develop Del Toro's motivations adequately at the start, it relies instead on flashbacks which are pretty brief and aren't very convincing. It seemed to me like an afterthought to put in a motive for his conversion from being a hired killer to a part-time loony. I don't want to spoil the film for you though so if you like action, I guess you won't be too disappointed. However if character development and great storylines are essential requirements for your viewing pleasure, you might want to watch something else, check out Del Toro in Traffic, or the Bourne Identity which is marginally better.
Rating:
Summary: This movie is nothing like The Fugitive
Review: And that is nothing like sarcasm. Okay, it is. It's a lot like sarcasm, actually. Maybe if it weren't Tommy Lee Jones as the star it wouldn't be so obvious, but to me what it came down to was a tough, know-it-all smart guy chasing a resourceful criminal that apparently no one else can catch. The Hunted seemed to have promise in the previews. Jones of course is usually good in everything (others might say this is because he typically plays the same character). And since starring in The Usual Suspects, Benicio Del Toro can really do no wrong. But The Hunted is a strange film, awkwardly left of center, as though it was aware of it's own triteness so it tries to overcompensate for it in random areas - violence, gore, and casting for example. Watching the movie I couldn't help but feel it was far beneath Del Toro's ability. He is certainly more gifted than to play the run-of-the-mill action star that he is in The Hunted. The Hunted is a typical disciple-gone-wrong movie. Del Toro, a deeply covert special forces soldier who "doesn't really exist" is so battle scarred that he goes AWOL and kills some innocent people. Once the government realizes this, they send the man who trained him - Jones - to track him down and catch him. From here it unfolds in an extraordinarily predictable way. The audience is left to feel as though they are watching out of obligation rather than actual interest - 9/10 viewers could probably outline the rest of the story. To try to hold our interest then, the filmmakers include a deep amount of gore in the movie, much more than a typical action film would have. Whether it's photos of decapitations or showing us orphaned children stepping though bodies in Somalia trying to find their parents, The Hunted delivers some disturbing scenes The problem is that the film doesn't really earn the right to do this. What I mean is, if I'm going to look at sickening images then it really needs to be a good movie otherwise. I'm not going to look at it for the sake of looking at it, and unfortunately that's all The Hunted has to offer. I advise avoiding this film despite the promising cast. You'll just be waiting for plot twists that never come and hoping Benicio gets back on track in his next role choice.
Rating:
Summary: On The Run in the Pacific Northwest
Review: Somewhat reminiscent of the D.C. sniper slayings, this film concerns a battle-fatigued Special Forces veteran of Kosovo, who has seen far too much violence,and becomes an animal lover and wreaks his vengeance by tracking & killing two hunters in the conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest. He is tracked down reluctantly by his former teacher,and by other members of the FBI, again reminiscent of the D.C. snipers, with this critical difference: he has been taught to kill in hand- to- hand combat with primitive weapons he makes himself, not modern high-powered rifles. The film is not for the faint-hearted, and starts with 15 minutes of fiery Hollywood battle footage from the Kosovo War, and its ethnic cleansing. The first half of the remainder might be considered slow by some viewers, but the pace picks up considerably in the second half, as the chase begins in earnest, beginning with the military detention vehicle's accident. The subsequent chase scenes through the streets, construction sites,underground tunnels and whitewater rapids surrounding Portland, Oregon are some of the most exciting you will ever see on film, raising this film briefly to a 5-star level.
They culminate is a gruelling hand-to-hand combat between teacher and pupil above some whitewater rapids as the FBI looks on. Second film I have seen in which Del Toro plays a desperate killer on the run, the other being "21 Grams". He seems to be developing into a Sylvester Stallone-type actor. The film has some other notable touches: the music of Johnny Cash, and how Tommy Lee Jones saves a white dog or wolf from a snare in the film's opening scene and later sees the same dog at the end of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Great action film
Review: Eerily reminiscent of the D.C. sniper slayings, this film concerns a battle-fatigued Special Forces veteran of Kosovo, who has seen far too much violence,who becomes an animal lover and wreaks vengeance on two hunters in the forests of the Northwest. He is tracked down by his former teacher,and by other members of the FBI, again reminiscent of the D.C. sniper. The film is not for the faint-hearted and starts with 15 minutes of Hollywood battle footage from the Kosovo War. The first half of the remainder might be considered slow by some viewers, but the pace picks up considerably in the second half as the chase begins in earnest, beginning with the military detention vehicle's accident. The subsequent chase scenes through the streets, construction sites, and whitewater rapids surrounding Portland, Oregon are some of the most exciting you will ever see anywhere, raising this film to a 5-star level.
They culminate is a gruelling hand-to-hand combat between teacher and pupil above some whitewater rapids as the FBI looks on. Second film I have seen in which Del Toro plays a desperate loser on the run, the other being "21 Grams".
Rating:
Summary: Good action, weak dialogue!
Review: I thought this movie to be a little better than what some of the other reviewers said. However, it does have some weak points. I give it credit for its action sequences, but little credit for dialogue which was the film's great weakness. I must agree with another reviewer who said this film is a hybrid cross between THE FUGITIVE and FIRST BLOOD (RAMBO 1). If you've seen these two films, then you've likely seen almost everything that THE HUNTED has to offer. The only difference is this film's emphasis on knife fighting, which does make this movie a bit interesting. Some it is quite phoney though. If you know anything about knife making, you know it requires a blacksmith's technique and several days worth of effort in order to craft a truly functional blade with a modern design. One of our stars accomplishes this trick by fashioning a knife out of a hunk of scrap metal over a simple campfire ... in what appears to be a rather brief period. The finished knife was an exceptionally well-stylized pattern complete with a serrated edge. I couldn't stop laughing! This movie is not as good as First Blood or The Fugitive, but if you like knife-fighting action you might enjoy this film.
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