Although "Warhunt" seems like just another piece to pass on, I have a soft spot for war-set horror movies, I like (the now old and grunting) Mickey Rourke, and this is the first American horror film shot in the small country from which I come from - Latvia. The trailer left me feeling split, but I went to fight witches anyways.
It's a little different purposefully watching a low-budget actioneer, you kinda know what to expect. There's always one or two veteran stars attached, often to be there for maybe 10 minutes total. It is, of course, the case here as well. The setup for "Warhunt" was decent, the characters, although cliché, get taken seriously (until they die), and the cinematography is established rather pleasant for such an indie. The lighting department is lacking in budget, however. Even the performances are surprisingly decent, with the highlight belonging to Robert Knepper, as the fearless but mad leader of 12 men squad in search for a crashed flyboys plane that's been carrying 'sensitive' material. As the story progresses, "Warhunt" grows weaker and more tedious. Three screenwriters have fought to bring together a half-finished fantasy story that's as menacing as a sloth with a knife. Witches can be scary, but not in "Warhunt", the best - and that's not saying much - part of the story sticks within the madness of soldiers. "Warhunt" employs a lot of cgi too, and, well, it could be worse, it could be better, it didn't matter much with the lack of atmosphere. Personal disappointment also was the lack of potential nature and locations they could've used, and almost the entire movie takes place in a forest.
Naturally, there are plenty of historical goofs, this ain't produced by Steven Spielberg. "Warhunt" goes from mildly intriguing and entertaining to a true lackluster in the second half, and, for better or worse, takes itself very seriously from start to end. Really, watch only if you're too a sucker for fusion of war and horror. My rating: 4/10.
