The Hunter

This Adventure/Drama movie stars one of my favorite actors, Willem Dafoe. Dafoe has played a variety of roles over the years, with one of my favorites being Paul Smecker in The Boondock Saints (2000). Now this part as the hunter, Martin David, is also one of my favorites. He is a mercenary sent to hunt down what is believed to be the last remaining of a long thought extinct species Tasmanian Tiger.

During his hunt, he stays with a family in a remote area where the Tiger has supposedly been sited. The two kids there are brilliantly played by kid actors I've never seen before. The drugged out mom, grieving for a long missing husband, who the kids still think is coming home, is played by another actress I've only seen once, in The Windtalkers (2002). She handles the role well, only hinting at attraction for the mysterious hunter masquerading as a scientist.

Sam Neill plays a local guide who seems a little too interested in the status quo. Neill is perfect for this role and handles it astutely.

As they story unfolds, the main characters all become interesting, and are mostly sympathetic if not down right liked. The interplay of the supposedly aloof mercenary, the family he begins to form attachments with, and the usual crowd of locals who only complicate matters, makes for a very appealing story. Things get a lot more tense when Dafoe's employers become impatient with his apparent lack of progress.

Adding to the mood is some very cleverly chosen Springsteen music, along with some classical pieces; classical seems to be common in Dafoe movies.

If you like a film with some heart and nothing blowing up every few minutes, this is definitely a good movie to watch, one that I will probably see again sometime.

The independent and lonely hunter Martin David (Willem Dafoe) is hired by the powerful biotech company Red Leaf to hunt down the last Tasmanian tiger. Red Leaf is interested in the DNA of the animal and Martin travels to Tasmania alone.

He poses of a researcher from a university and is lodged in the house of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor). Martin leans that Lucy's husband has been missing for a long time and he befriends her children, Sass (Morgana Davies) and Bike (Finn Woodlock).

When Martin goes to the village, he has a hostile reception from the locals. Along the days, Martin spends his days in the Tasmanian wilderness chasing the Tiger and becomes closer and closer to the Armstrong family. But Red Leaf wants results no matter the costs.

"The Hunter" is a beautiful and dramatic film with an unpredictable and sad plot. The Tasmania landscape is certainly the great attraction of film that is supported by a good story, two lovely children (Morgana Davies and Finn Woodlock) and the excellent Willem Dafoe. It is also great to see again Frances O'Connor, who had disappeared from the "big screen". My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): O Caçador" "The Hunter")

I live in Tasmania and I know the country well enough. When I moved here in the 70's it was still considered possible that somehow the tiger had survived in some remote part of the island . Not So. Decades of intensive forestry and clearing and no hints of survival. Still the tantalizing reports occasionally surface. The animal has moved on to pure mythology. Into that scenario comes this beautifully filmed Eco thriller that has a great story line but is also about our beautiful island. The scenes are artfully mixed from various places in Tasmania and the original footage of the tiger is reproduced again for the big screen. How thrilling it was to see that old footage of the thirties (last definite sightings) again.This is the last surviving footage of a peak predator that was not a dog or cat relative but a marsupial and very strange. The film builds slowly and carefully, William Defoe is in a great role which he carries off so well Frances O'Connor and the kids are just entirely in the role! Go see this film if you have the chance and enjoy a beautiful movie I have avoided all discussion of the final 20 minutes go see it and be so surprised!! Its a beautiful and at times tense movie.

As a dramatic representation of corporate greed and its lasting impression on all species this film is a somber yet thought provoking look at what we have become. Simple in form, well shot, patiently directed and delicately scored The Hunter is a film you want to recommend but you feel that people may not view it in the way you did.

Slow and steady the film unfolds to its final sequences in a methodical and somewhat predictable way, nevertheless you don't find yourself reaching for the remote. Not necessarily a film to watch often as it leaves you feeling disheartened, but beautiful in its own right. Leaves you thinking about it for some time; an internal debate as to which option you would have selected and countering those thoughts with the idea that there never was an option in the first place.

Worth a viewing; just be sure you are in an environment where you can focus and see it for what it is because the director has placed a great majority of the move "between the lines" and you will miss aspects if you stop to converse midway through.

For me, this is Willem Dafoe's best film. The whole movie belongs to him: he's in virtually every scene, and the abstract, spare nature of the script allows the director to focus his camera on the star's craggy features, capturing the look and spirit of a haunted but determined man who must do the right thing despite the odds stacked against him.

Admittedly, THE HUNTER isn't for all tastes: it's slow indeed, and the essential narrative has a few plot holes and unbelievable bits here and there. But I loved it to bits. The atmosphere building is spot on, and rural Tasmania is brought to life in a wonderful way. The likes of Sam Neill and Dan Wyllie may play stereotypes, but they're entertaining ones, and Frances O'Connor is excellent as a damaged character.

Much of the running time consists of Dafoe stalking through a deserted landscape, and these scenes are exquisitely beautiful with some of the best cinematography I've seen in an Australian movie. The ending is inevitable but tragic nonetheless. A fantastic film overall.