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I have always been intrigued by this film, mostly because of the fantasy it suggests, and even obtained a VHS copy to look it over more closely. Using the leads posted by other readers, I have been able to glean the following facts from various Internet and library resources concerning the strange tale of The Mad Trapper of Rat River, played in Death Hunt by Charles Bronson;

a] A man referring to himself as Albert Johnson [identified post mortem by associates as Albert Nelson, although that was also an assumed name] arrived in the Aklavik area and brought attention onto himself from a large purchase of ammunition, a new shotgun, and an inexplicable refusal to get himself a trapper's license. Johnson ran afoul of a Constable Edgar Millen [Lee Marvin's character] during the New Years season of 1931-32 after his apparent meddlings with the traps of some of the local types, who suggested that he had gone bonkers in the isolation of the mountains.

b] Two posses did in fact make seperate trips to Johnson's handmade cabin [measuring 8 feet by 8 feet] and one of the Mounties did in fact have a brief encounter with Johnson through an open window; The first time he simply wouldn't answer their knocks, and the second time he shot a Mountie through his closed door with a .38 automatic. A third posse, with Const. Millens, then made the 80 mile dogsled trip and blew up Johnson's cabin after he again refused to acknowledge them.

c] After they blew up his cabin, Johnson did indeed jump up out of a foxhole he had been hiding in, firing a sawed off shotgun and a .22 repeater with the stock removed. The Mounties retreated, and Johnson slipped away in the darkness.

d] A resulting "death hunt" did indeed ensue, set entirely above the arctic circle, and by the first-time ever use of wireless radios by law enforcement, kept the public of Canada and America riveted with their newspaper and wire reports of the two week long manhunt that was the O.J. Simpson crime case of it's day.

Johnson proved a remarkable adversary, using every trick in the book to confound his pursuers, and managed to survive the nightly -40 tempetures with little or no supplies or survival gear. They did manage to corner him on one occasion; there was a gunfight, Constable Millens was killed, and Johnson escaped by climbing a sheer cliff with his bare hands in the dead of night during a blizzard.

e] A bush pilot and former WW1 air ace became involved in the pursuit, not only by resupplying the posse and flying out wounded men, but played an invaluable role in tracking Johnson after he had made his initial escape, using another wireless radio to vector in the ground pursuit in another law enforcement first. He damn near well almost escaped too, though he was finally cut down in a hail of lead after keeping the authorities at bay for 48 days.

f] The whole case was dubbed "The Mad Trapper of Rat River" incident by the press owing to the locals' contention that Johnson had gone cabin happy. He was found to be carrying a $2400 bankroll when searched, and I have found two references to "gold teeth" or gold fillings; The natives of the area had a fable about "The Trapper who steals the gold from men's teeth" that may have been attributed to Johnson after he was found to have some gold dental work in his posession.

Whether they were his or someone else's is unknown, but their presence plus all that cash led to a rumor that he got rich by prying folks' gold fillings out. This has never been substantiated, and the "Mad Trapper" name was pinned to him before these revelations came to light. To this very day, Johnson's actual identity remains a complete mystery, and his bid for freedom one of the most remarkable examples of man surviving the elements.

NOW, with that in mind, Death Hunt's scriptwriters took a few liberties with the facts to create a more romanticized tale;

• Bronson's Abert Johnson is now a decoarted war veteran trained in Special Ops, which accounts for his hardiness, comfort with weapons and wealth of survival skills.

- The conflict with the locals is initiated by having Bronson break up a dog fight, making his character sympathetic when compared to the dirt bags who pick a scrap with him afterwards.

• The dog is then killed to provide Bronson with an understandable motive to blow someone's head off and escalate the confrontation. Poor doggie...

- William Beckamn's character of Old Bill is introduced to provide a way for Bronson's character to survive the film after Lee Marvin manages to blow Bill's face off with a single slug. Nice shootin'.

- Lee Marvin's Sgt. Millens also survives and is credited with the man who killed Albert Johnson. Maybe the producers though this was a way of paying homage to Millen's memory.

- The pilot is turned into a jerk to create a "new world vs. old values" conflict with Marvin, then provided with a machine gun equipped biplane to he can gun down Apollo Creed and reinforce the senselessness of it all. The actual pilot. a Capt. "Wop" May, was widely regarded as a hero for the role he played.

- The film was shot during the spring and summer thaw so that characters could wander around in open jackets and sweaters. Much of the pursuing posse footage looks like it was filmed on a snowed over golf course somewhere; we never get a feel that these men are actually battling against the elements.

- The one scene that Bronson and Marvin share is so strangely shot and edited as to suggest that the two actors were not on the set at the same time. Watch it closely -- you can never see both men's faces in the same shot.

Yet I will always have a soft spot for Death Hunt -- it is probably the first R rated film I ever saw. It would be interesting to see a more historically accurate account of the Mad Trapper comitted to film; think of this as the fanciful and romanticized version.

If you have ever dreamed of taking a pack of supplies, a rifle and a dog up into the mountains and saying To Hell With Civilization, this film was made for you.

Death Hunt is directed by Peter Hunt and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. It stars Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Carl Weathers, Ed Lauter, Andrew Stevens, Scott Hyland, Maury Chaykin and Angie Dickinson. Music is by Jerrold Immel and cinematography by James Devis.

Film is loosely based on the real "Mad Trapper" man hunt that occurred in the Yukon Territory, Canada, 1931.

Directed by the man who helmed On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and starring two of the iconic stars of The Dirty Dozen, it's no surprise to find Death Hunt full of machismo. What transpires is a two part movie, where time is afforded the set up for the first half, and the second half features the man hunt across the Yukon landscapes.

Plot basically sees Bronson as nomadic loner Albert Johnson (The Mad Trapper of lore), who rescues a severely injured dog from a dog fight held by baying locals, much to their displeasure. Unwisely tracking Johnson down and taking him on, one of their number is shot and killed. So in come the legal guys, the RCMP, led by grizzled old pro Edgar Millen (Marvin), who desperately tries to keep things in order as the situation quickly spirals out of control. As Johnson takes to the snowy terrain, with Millen and co in pursuit, a respect begins to form between the two wise heads, with Millen very much aware that there will be only one winner in this hunt.

So it goes, framed by lovely location photography, and with Bronson and Marvin doing what they do best, film plays out as a snowy chase and survive adventure. It's very much fictionalised from the real story, but some instances are real, including the incredible journey that Johnson undertook whilst fleeing his pursuers. Violence slots in and out of proceedings, as does moments of humour, and there's a nice grey area in the narrative that questions who you should be rooting for. In fact Marvin's characterisation of Millen is very enjoyable because he is irked by the cretins he finds himself hunting with.

Some of the support players are under written, so therefore underused, while Dickinson pops in only briefly and purely as a bit of sexy relief from the machismo on show. All told it's a safe and enjoyable movie for fans of the stars and fans of outdoor action/adventure/thrillers. Kind of like First Blood meets The Fugitive who then take Seraphim Falls out for a drink. Only, remember, this was before all those and it has Bronson and Marvin in the locker! 7/10

With a lurid title like "Death Hunt" and lead actors like Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin, it would be easy to dismiss this film as just another shoot-'em-up run through the mill to capitalize on the marquee names (particularly Bronson). To do so, however, would be to overlook a well-made gem of an adventure film.

The problem, of course, with most films of this ilk is that they offer a minimum set-up and characters and then set the guns a-blazin'. Not so here. The premise is established well, with Bronson as the noble loner and Marvin as the gruff, weary Canadian Mountie. The themes and plot devices are familiar, to be sure - the sense of honor, the anti-hero, the wet behind the ears rookie lawman, even a little bit of a love story.

I had seen most of this film on cable and thought I understood it. Recently I rented it so I could finally see the first half hour and my feelings about it changed. Seeing the film from start to finish, I realized I had misjudged the intentions of the Marvin character. I thought the character was just another "honorable to the point of dishonorable" hero, when in fact he's a conflicted man. During the film, you can see that he knows he's as much responsible for what has happened, and he's not so much interested in "doing the right thing" as he is in covering his own rear end.

I was surprised to see in the beginning that the film is set in 1931; it seems much like a Western. But then you realize that this was still a very isolated area and that, unlike the southwest, civilization hadn't quite caught up with this part of the world yet - particularly with lawmen like Marvin on duty.

"Death Hunt" delivers all the goods. There is plenty of action and excitement, yet also a lot of substance as the story unfolds. It's a notch above most films of its kind. I enjoyed it so much that I'm considering adding it to my own DVD library, and I'd also like to learn more about the real story that it is based on.

This is an almost forgotten film, a status which is undeserved. Loosely based on a true story, it is the tale of a lone, mysterious trapper who irks some thugs in the Canadian wilderness, leading to a massive manhunt by the Mounties. Bronson (virtually silent throughout and thus quite effective) is a resourceful target, at once gentle and violent. Marvin is the grizzled head of the mounted police who has the task of tracking down and capturing a man with whom he can identify. Their unspoken understanding is fascinating to see. Marvin is aided by a wet-behind-the-ears, by-the-book officer played by Stevens. It would be hard to imagine a more adorable sight than fresh-scrubbed Stevens in his red uniform entering the grungy town where the police are stationed. He is gorgeous.....and quite a fine actor. It is a shame that he wasn't able to get to a better place with his acting career. The film is peppered with a ton of familiar (if dirty) faces from old westerns of TV and film. All of the lynch mob look like people who've been guest villain on "Bonanza" or "The Big Valley". One major drawback is Dickinson. It's hard to believe that someone can be miscast in a role as tiny as this one, but she is. Her anachronistic teased hair drains what little 1930's period flavor there is from the film and she is wooden in all her scenes. Apparently, she was stunt-cast because of her previous work with Marvin, but it failed miserably. There is a bit of a connection to "Dances with Wolves" in this film, Maury Chaykin and Tantoo Cardinal appear in both films and Bronson even develops a similar relationship with a vicious dog as Costner does with his wolf. The film is something like "First Blood" + "The Fugitive" x snow - 40 years. It is a great example of the "Bronson versus the world" type of film and offers a solid Marvin performance as well. There is more going on here than one might think. The final showdown is quite dramatic and suspenseful. The scenery is also great.

I had fond memories of watching Death Hunt as a teenager and I thought it would be worth revisiting.

Charles Bronson plays, Albert Johnson, a solitary trapper who becomes the target of revenge after rescuing a dog from a cruel fight. He also slaps some manners into the owner in the process.

Feeling emasculated and weakened the man gets a gang together and turns up at Albert's cabin to teach him a lesson. A gunfight ensues, and in one of the men gets a belly full of lead. Sgt. Edgar Millen, played by Lee Marvin, of the Mounty police has the grim task of cleaning up the mess and bringing order. He takes one look at the situation and can see that it was the fault of trigger-happy hotheads, but with one man dead he has no choice but to Albert in. It's the law.

He refuses, of course, and it kickstarts a chain of events that leads them on a chase across the snow-covered mountains of Yukon in Northern Canada. Things get out of hand when a bet in a local tavern has every gun-toting buffoon in the county joining the posse.

Watching Death Hunt it's hard not to think of First Blood or The Fugitive. You'll find elements of both here. Made in 1981 this is without doubt one of last great Charles Bronson movies. It's also, given the fact that he only has three lines dialogue, one of his best performances. Lee Marvin is a commanding presence, as ever, but looks tired. Those years of boozing and smoking have obviously caught up with him. Then there's Angie Dickensian, playing the part of the only woman in the movie and I think that's the only reason she was there.

While this is based on a true story, all signs indicate that this was a very, very loose interpretation of the events of the real Albert Johnson.

Here is a story set in Canada about Canadians and yet it was made by the US. I have to ponder why Canada didn't jump on doing this story themselves. If one wonders why Canadian movies are so lame (about failure, disease, depression, weird humor) I would say it is because culturally we have an aversion to examining ourselves in a critical fashion whereas other countries do it quite naturally. England has made films about notorious murders, same with Australia, or Germany (Tenderness of the Wolves), and of course, the US. This story would have been perfect material for a domestic movie--but I can find no evidence that Canada ever sought to make this story themselves. I can understand with the stars involved that they dramatized it and changed the facts, but if it were done with no stars, and kept to the historical story, it still would have been fascinating. But the government film funding bodies don't like stories that present Canada in a negative light. At least in the English side-I know Quebec has covered stories on its history in fictional fashion. I remember the furor over a Canadian murder case when a Canadian producer wanted to make a film about it and was harshly condemned, so the US made it-and Canadian crew people vowed not to work on it. This is seriously screwed up thinking. If Canada wants to develop a normal film industry it needs to be less reserved and more self-examining.... On the film itself, I agree with the sentiments that you wouldn't see this film made today-and if you did, it would star model-types. Character actors have really gone extinct. Some of the melodramatic touches in the film worked for me (the dog, the trapper Bill), others fell flat(the inserted love story). Still, Bronson was effective (you could totally believe he was a rugged mountain man) and Marvin had some good lines (I am sure Canadian government culture ministers would have axed his comment calling the trappers "savages" if it was made in country).

A solitary , self-reliant trapper(Charles Bronson) is wrongly accused of killing , then he is pursued by Canadian Police Mounted ( some Mounties as Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers) commanded by Sgt Edgar(Lee Marvin). The relentless chase is set against strong environment, snowy mountains and hazardous trails. The dangerous pursuit includes a numerous posse (William Sanderson, August Schellemberg, Ed Lauter) and a plane (piloted by Scott Hylands) .

This interesting picture based on true events is packed with noisy action, gritty adventure, thrills, violent shootouts and spectacular outdoors. Magnificent main cast with two greatest toughs of screen : Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin. Ample supporting cast with secondaries of important future career as Ed Lauter, Maury Chaykin , August Schellemberg, also features Angie Dickinson who is wasted in a minor role. Wonderful cinematography reflecting splendidly impressive landscapes filmed in Alberta , Canada and Alburquerque , New Mexico. Furthermore contains an atmospheric and evocative musical score . The motion picture is professionally directed by Peter Hunt, a notorious editor and occasionally director as ¨Shout at the Devil¨, ¨Gold¨, ¨Gulliver's travels ¨, being his biggest hit the only James Bond film starred by George Lazemby titled ¨ On her Majesty's service secret¨. Rating : 6,5 , this good northern Western will appeal to Marvin and Bronson fans.

I am an advocate for Charles Bronson(R.I.P.),that ,this was one of his most PHYSICAL movies,the incredible outdoor trekking during the filming of this movie must have been tough on everybody involved with the filming of this great story in the wilderness,,and keep in mind, he was 64 years old when this movie was filmed,,The best part of this movie is that there was a fluent and exciting scene constantly throughout,and the writers mixed a little comedy along the way to break up the story a bit,,,I personally own some wonderful memorabilia from this movie,,I have the actual Bowie knife carried by Lee Marvin in the movie,,,and I also own the ACTUAL coyote coat that Bronson wears in the movie,,it is unbelievably beautiful,,,,,,When I wear it,,I can feel a true connection with this great under-rated flick,,,,A true classic of our time,,,,,,any fans of Bronson are welcome to connect by email,Charles Bronson will be dearly missed by all of us,,I hope these comments will help keep him in our hearts as one of the GREATEST!,,,thanks for reading,,,DOUG 12/3/05

Decent if unexceptional chase / survival thriller benefits from a solid cast, interesting characters, breathtaking scenery, and a compelling enough story, based on (or maybe the operative words should be "inspired by") history. The true story is touted as one of the most intense manhunts ever, and I am sure it would make for fascinating reading.

Two legendary cinema tough guys play pursuer and the pursued; Charles Bronson is Albert Johnson, a solitary man forced to kill in self-defense. Lee Marvin is Edgar Millen, the Royal Canadian Mountie who is obliged to track him down, but who respects him far too much to want to see him bagged by a greed-motivated bounty hunter or an overly ambitious pilot.

Ultimately, the movie doesn't deliver too much on the action front; the action scenes are certainly competent but there aren't too many of them, and we really don't get a sense of the characters having to endure any real hardships, despite the potentially riveting man vs. nature element of the story.

Still, "Death Hunt" does manage to entertain well enough even if it's not terribly memorable in the end. Its period recreation is effective (the story takes place at the tail end of 1931 in Canada's Yukon Territory) and there are some great scenes and images. It's just too cool to see Bronson - in one of his better performances - emerge from the rubble of his destroyed cabin with both guns a-blazing. The music by Jerrold Immel and cinematography by James Devis are noteworthy, as well as a prominent male milieu, headed by greats Bronson and Marvin; Andrew Stevens is baby faced, by-the-book young Mountie Alvin, Carl Weathers the easygoing "Sundog", veteran screen heavy Ed Lauter the troublemaker Hasel, and an under utilized Angie Dickinson in an obligatory (and brief) love interest role. Lots of great character faces here, too: Henry Beckman, William Sanderson, Jon Cedar, Len Lesser, Richard Davalos, Maury Chaykin, August Schellenberg, Sean McCann, and Tantoo Cardinal. Chaykin and Schellenberg add silly comedy relief as two constantly bickering thugs.

Overall, this is good stuff if not as great as it could and should have been. At least it's a good example of a thriller with a refreshingly old fashioned, straightforward appeal and which doesn't over saturate itself with special effects. It even works in a comment on the nature of tradition vs. progress, which in this story is represented by radios and aviation. All in all, it may give in to predictability rather than nuance, and not be too faithful to the true story, but it provides acceptable entertainment.

Seven out of 10.

Nicely crafted adventure yarn set in 1931. Anymore info and it would spoil the fun. Lee Marvin plays his role as a run-down lawman in a run-down Yukon trapping town with a tongue in cheek charm that he was known for in his later efforts. Add to this Charles Bronson doing his stoic loner and a great list of character actors (including William Sanderson) coupled with a tightly woven script, beautiful cinematography and some rousing action and you've got a neat little classic. Supposedly based on a true story, but whether it holds to the facts or not, who cares? Is it accurate? Maybe, maybe not. Is it a good movie? You bet! And in the end that is all that matters.

I had never even heard of "Death Hunt" when it was released in the early 80s, so I found it a pleasant surprise when I finally did see it. Both Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson are excellent here -- I don't know how many more movies either one appeared in after this, but they both give performances worthy of the veterans they were. Marvin is simply terrific as the aging, world-weary Mountie, and Bronson is able to convey a lot with just an expression (which is essential in this film, since his lines are very limited).

My only complaint is that, as excellent as they were, they only had one scene together in the entire movie, and that lasted less than five minutes. Other than that, all of their confrontations were long distance. Too bad.

The rest of the cast is also very good, especially Carl Weathers, and the scenery is spectacular. A refreshingly different kind of movie. The fact that it was loosely based on a true story is interesting but not essential to enjoying it. It's not a documentary, it's a movie, and a very well acted one.

This Charles Bronson action vehicle isn't his best but it's not too bad either. Loosely based on a true story, Bronson plays a mountain man who, after rescuing an injured dog from a dogfight by buying it, is forced to defend himself from the previous owner and his men. After killing one of 'em, the Mounties (headed by Lee Marvin), and indeed all the men in the area (for reward of course), go on a death hunt for the guy, starting at his cabin and leading all over the snowy, mountainous terrain. Plenty of action ensues, including a great shot of Bronson rapidly firing off his pump shotgun at the guys. If you're a fan of the guy, you'll want to see this one.

Charles Bronson has less than fifty words of dialogue in this film, since he spends most of it running through the snow on his own pursued by the mounties, but it is still one of his better films from the late seventies and early eighties era.

He plays the real life character Albert Johnson, a fur trapper who killed some people in a dispute over dogs and went on the run in territory which had never been crossed during the ferocious Arctic winter. He successfully got away from them, despite the fact that they had many men, dogs and even an aeroplane to help them to track him down.

This movie version is simple blood and thunder stuff, with a starry cast, some strong language and a handful of sparkling action sequences. It has weak points too, such as the wasted character played by Angie Dickinson, and a few slow patches in terms of pacing. However, when you think that Bronson was mainly working on such dross as The Evil That Men Do, Death Wish II, and Ten to Midnight at this point in his career, this is at least a slightly above-average film worthy of his rugged talents.

Death Hunt (1981) was a strange animal. It was one of the few films that were produced by Raymond Chow and his company Golden Harvest. The movie is loosely based upon an actual incident that happened in Canada. The film is basically a showcase of Charlie Bronson's "wide" range of acting abilities. A trapper has a spat with some locals. When push comes to shove Charlie decides to take matters into his own hands and he has to deal with not only the locals but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Can Charlie survive the locals, The R.C.M.P. and the elements?

This movie is not a classic but it's a nice little action movie. The violence will satisfy action fans and the photography is excellent. Charlie gives his character some humanity and depth to what would ordinarily be considered a "wild mountain man" he also gets to say some cool lines and blasts away at some local ruffians. Lee Marvin co-stars as the Head Mountie and Carl Weathers and Andrew Stevens co-star as well as his fellow mounties. Angie Dickenson guest stars as well.

Recommended.

Surprisingly this movie predates First Blood with sylvester stallone by one year. While that film is often remembered this one is mostly forgotten. This despite the fact that their plots are almost identical. Me, I prefer this one. Lee Marvin is always great and makes his way through this film half sauced (as usual). Chuck Bronson is.....well his normal self. A man of few words, squinty eyes, and lots of gratuitous violence. The movie is acted and directed satisfactory enough. And the stunts and special effects are carried out passably. But again the movie is dominated by marvin who always eats up the screen. We need a new lee marvin in these times of wussified movie villains.

"Death Hunt" is based on a true story that I've never heard or read about before, so I will further refrain from commenting on how inaccurate the plot is or how badly the makers altered the truth for commercial purposes. The only thing I saw was an action/adventure movie in which my idol Charles Bronson is once again a lone hero fighting off a bunch of vicious men who are after him for unjust reasons. Charlie plays the massively skilled and seasoned Canadian Mountain trapper Albert Johnson; a respectable man who minds his own business and doesn't look for trouble anywhere. After a banal incident with some fellow Mounties, he's wrongfully accused of being the notorious "Mad Trapper"; a psychopath who prowls the mountains and allegedly kills people for the gold in their teeth. A second confrontation with the bloodthirsty Mounties generates a relentless manhunt through the ice-cold and devastating Canadian landscape. The fatigue Sergeant Edgar Millen from the Royal Canadian Mountain Police leads the hunt, though merely to prevent the others from blatantly executing Albert Johnson, as he still believes the man is innocent. In spite of the terrific ensemble cast and the most breathtaking filming locations there are to be found on this planet, "Death Hunt" sadly felt somewhat like a disappointing and routine action movie. In between the shootout sequences, which are admittedly very explicit and grim, there are overlong boring and pointless parts with nothing going on except the showing of beautiful snowy Canadian mountain scenery. Director Peter Hunt (I guess with a name like his you have to direct this movie) unsuccessfully tries to fill up these parts with irrelevant sub plots, like the appearance of the real Mad Trapper and the hostile competition within the RCMP. There even is a seriously strange and unfitting gay-love interlude that I fail to see the purpose of. Charles Bronson's acting relies on his charisma instead of on lines, as usual, and Lee Marvin looks as fatigue and fed up with life as his character. The best performances come from the supportive cast, including Carl Weathers ("Rocky"), Adrew Stevens ("The Fury") and Ed Lauter ("The Longest Yard"). Other reviewers already righteously pointed out the resemblance between this film and the earlier Charles Bronson film "Chato's Land". Both movie feature our testosterone-packed hero as a lone and introvert warrior versus suckers stupid enough to challenge him on his own turf. A vengeful bare-chested Apache in one film, a warmly dressed up Canadian Mountie in the other. Now who says Charlie isn't a versatile actor, ha!

Death Hunt is something like a blend of Jack London and Chato's Land. Bronson and Marvin rock this one, Carl Weathers is good too. The story: in the Yukon Territory in 1931, Albert Johnson (Charles Bronson) gets hunted by a blood-thirsty posse in the mountains, led by Lee Sergeant Millen (Lee Marvin) - blood gets shed. Death Hunt: a simple but effective movie, spiced up with some great landscape shots. Not essential but for the right spirited audience still a nice trip.

Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin in an action flick; sounds like it can't miss, right? It doesn't!

Charles Bronson plays a sort of recluse who lives high up in snowy mountains. He pisses off some local jo-jo's who then try and kill him, but our man fights back and kills one of them and attempts to flee the country afterwards. That's the beginning of a massive man hunt that's led by law enforcement official Lee Marvin.

What makes this movie really work are few things in particular. The pairing of Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin, two of the toughest bad asses, is a real treat. The film has magnificent scenery throughout and is beautifully filmed and has some great action sequences also. Directed by Peter Hunt, who also made the best Bond film (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), this guy knows how to make action films.

This is one of the few films where I could easily imagine the two leads actually saying nothing for the second half of the movie and the film still working. It's not about snappy dialogue its about facial expression and mannerisms giving us insight into what the characters are thinking.

There is nothing trivial in the film, just a solid drama using the tensions between the main characters.

Perhaps a film ill suited to contemporary viewers but should be enjoyed by those who appreciate substance over style :)

The production team had a very powerful true story to build upon, but they just tacked Bronson and Marvin in a loose adaptation and felt content with it. In the end, the biggest flaw of all is there's hardly a Death Hunt taking place. The whole picture fumbles with geographical continuity so much that suspense is never gaining momentum. Aerial shots of abrupt snowy slopes contrast with the ground shots where actors happen to run on a mostly flat soil, with little snow most of the time.

Thus the chase looks more like a veteran's trekking in the mountains. Peter Hunt was supposed to be an innovative editor, but he constantly failed to prove he could edit pictures in his head to achieve remarkable results as a director. All the chase sequences feel disjointed, shot at various locations. Bronson is in sight, then he escapes, and then again he seems cornered by the Mountie posse soon joined by the improvised bounty hunters coming out of the wild, simply catching up with the unrelenting chase (ok Bronson is supposed to zigzag and the plane helps to locate him very closely, but little is done to make this a consistent narrative feature).

Eventually it's a poor rendition of a fantastic true story only because the guys involved took the pedestrian path to a Death Hunt in the Arctic wilderness. The R-rated bullet impacts or the wasteful Angie Dickinson cameo are further evidence of a cheap-shots-oriented production.