Hunting Season

For these usual geezer teaser movies there's usually a bait and switch. Mel would be on the cover but in reality just in the movie for 10 minutes. Not here actually. He is the lead. It's primarily his film and bless him he is trying but there's no budget to speak of and it shows. The movie meanders around and takes a long while to get to its eventual conclusion. I wouldn't be surprised if Mel really helped out on keeping the action quick and simple to cover for the fact they just had no money. Digital squibs and muzzle flashes galore kill any sort of bloodlust enjoyment in the finale and it's a routine a to b to c plot.

That would be fine if they could have delivered on some kind of satisfactory conclusion or character path. I mean let's be real it's 2025, I'm watching cause it's Mel Gibson. Just give Mel a decent reason for ripping throats and then set him free, you'll have all of our money. It's the John Wick principal of these types of movies. Just be the crowd pleaser. But instead it wanted to be a slow burn type mid 90s hometown thriller. But nothing in the script reaches above mediocrity so instead you have a painfully average vendiagram of the two and it all results in nothing satisfying.

I'll still give it props for being mostly competent and not a bait and switch.

Late at night and on streaming? It's fine. Cheap rental? Meh

Purchase? No.

"Hunting Season" is a competently made thriller that builds tension through atmosphere and restraint, even if it never quite rises above genre familiarity. It's a solid watch, but one that plays things a little too safely to leave a lasting impression.

The direction favors subtlety over spectacle, allowing unease to develop gradually. This approach works in places, creating moments of genuine tension, but it also means the film can feel muted at times, lacking the punch needed to fully engage. Visually, it's appropriate and consistent, though rarely striking.

The performances are believable and grounded, helping sell the realism of the situation. However, the characters themselves aren't especially memorable, and the story follows well-worn paths without adding much of its own identity. What could have been sharper or more daring settles instead for competence.

In the end, "Hunting Season" isn't bad - just limited. It delivers a restrained, watchable thriller experience, but one that remains firmly in the realm of "okay" rather than truly compelling.

This movie did an excellent job character building. By the end, we wanted it to be an episode in a season. Mel Gibson was great as well as the two young female Co-stars I wasn't familiar with. Good intensity, action, family drama. These smaller mid-budget gems are rare these days. Sorta felt like a throw back from a previous decade in a good way! Recommend A+

Mel Gibson returns with a fatherly role, with healthy principles such as family care and faith, in a lost, corrupt and violent world.

Sofia Hublitz is like a ray of sunshine and is very believable in the role.

Miss Stallone does okay.

Mel has his original "hands" that made him famous.

A film worth seeing.

Mel Gibson always seems to deliver movies which are exactly what you expect them to be.

It is a solid action movie with a bit of family in there.

Everything is solid, the acting the characters the script.

While you could argue it is a bit simplistic end of the day it is exactly what is expected and wanted in these sort of movies.