The Hunting Party - I cacciatori

The best part of this movie is that it keeps your interest. It overdoes the language and gets a bit preachy here and there but overall does what you ask a movie: it entertains. If you're looking for a fairly intense 100 minutes of diversion, you'll get it here. However, I wouldn't watch it twice.

Terrence Howard as "Duck" and Richard Gere as "Simon" are both very interesting. Jesse Eisenberg as "Benajamin" was a bit annoying because he looks stupid and has a whiny voice. Since this is a man's movie, Howard and Gere fit the bill better.

The movie has a good mix of suspense, action, intrigue, war, politics and even a couple of doses of humor, which was a nice touch. The minor characters, like "Boris" (Mark Invanir) were as interesting as the leads, and the camera-work and scenery were worth watching, too. Boris doesn't get much billing here but he has several scenes and they are good.

Are a hundred f-words and a 10-20 blasphemes really necessary in telling this story? In a word: no. I was surprised, only because Gere has been in a number of entertaining films over the years and I don't ever recalling him anywhere near this profane in any of his roles. An f-word out of his mouth almost every other sentence seemed out of place, especially for an outspoken Buddhist, wouldn't you think?

As soon as Howard spoke, his voice was familiar. I couldn't remember where I'd heard it but knew it wasn't long ago. I looked it up here on IMDb and now remember hearing/seeing him in "The Brave One," another 2007 movie. Anyway, he and Gere make a good "buddy act" in this film and didn't really need the kid with them.

The "message" of the movie, as they say several times during the movie and in print at the conclusion, is that these Bosnian war criminals are still out there and no one seems to really want to capture them.

Based on an article that was published in Esquire, The Hunting Party tells the story of three journalists—actually five as the end of the film will explain during its comical "what was true and what wasn't" montage—who took it upon themselves to find the most wanted war criminal in the world, Bosnia's "The Fox". Brought to screen by Richard Shepard, this is a movie that keeps you highly enthralled throughout. It may not be as solid a film as his previous effort, the underrated comedy The Matador, because it tries to push an agenda against all that was working for it. At its best, everything is absolutely pitch-perfect: taut thrills, suspenseful story, and great acting. As for the worst, it becomes a diatribe on how the world's governments care more about money than safety. Honestly, we all know this and don't need our entertainment to jam it into our skulls even more. Falling into a growing category for me—one that includes Blood Diamond—the end result here is a great film that just can't stop from trying to be more than it is, stumbling on its misguided mission rather than allowing its natural momentum to carry it through to the finish.

Stylistically this thing is beautiful to look at. I enjoyed the use of freeze-frames during the exposition scenes and the moments in warzones come across as real, dangerous, and above all else exciting. The joy and genuine laughter emitting from our leads after they narrowly escape death over and over again adds to the code of living life to the fullest that they both follow. Shepard holds some cards close to his chest also, showing us events leading up to Simon Hunt's breakdown, all but killing his career, however not explaining the entire story until absolutely necessary. Each character's motives aren't exactly the same towards the end as they were in the beginning. What's first a quest for redemption (Hunt), youthful vibrancy (Duck), and an excuse to show his father that he is made of more than a cushy Harvard school lifestyle (Benjamin) soon becomes a mission to do the right thing. These men are fighting for civility and humanity, two things that have left that part of the world and is in desperate need for return.

One can't fault any of our journalistic trio for anything they may find wrong with the final product. Richard Gere is spectacular as the fallen reporter, who we will eventually find has lost more than just his career. The desperation is always true and his actions perfectly played against the more sane members of the troupe. Terrence Howard shows us how great he can be and makes us wonder why he still feels the need to choose some god-awful movies between his good ones. The transformation he takes, in just a few short cuts, is rather staggering while essential to his role's motives later on. Going from an adrenaline junkie cameraman to a stand-in executive whose field work entails setting up outside the White House and Capital Hill almost makes you wonder how he ever could have changed so much. Then you think about the money, the security, and the relaxation time and soon the concept seems too good for anyone to pass up. The taste of danger never left, however, and it is his wrestling with that, by using some nicely timed humor, that helps carry the story to its conclusion. As for the boss's son, on his first foreign correspondence, Jesse Eisenberg epitomizes the book-smartass attitude someone in that position would have. It is his willingness to learn and bullheaded mindset to not let these two guys do anything to make him out to be a wuss that lead him to becoming an integral part to the team and mission at hand.

Along with them, every character that is met with on the journey to find "The Fox" adds just the right amount of infused quirk needed to keep interest. While familiar faces like James Brolin and Diane Kruger play their parts well, it is a guy like Mark Ivanir as Boris the UN executive that shines. He is caught up in this imaginary scheme of CIA hit squads coming in to do that which he wishes he could. It appears he has watched too many American movies and the dream of being a real live Deepthroat seems to appeal to his sensibilities as he attempts to help the trio in their quest to find that which is never found. These bit parts bring much of the laughter and absurdity that counterbalances the abundance of drama and high emotional toll seen at every turn. The Hunting Party does not try and sugar-coat what is going on in the Balkans and pays much attention in showing the truth and not what is read in the history books, both figuratively and literally—the book in physical form during a nice scene of Howard opening the innocent eyes of Eisenberg in a bar, along with the help of four of the real-life reporters on which the film is based.

Shot with some wonderful compositions and blocking of actors to build a sense of suspense and fear, Shepard has crafted a winner. Besides a too-long scene that goes on and on about how the UN and people in power are only out to create good PR without any work going towards punishing the monsters running free, I have little to complain about. I was almost completely removed from enjoyment with the horribly trite and overused joke with the ending subtitled words, but was redeemed with the inventive "what was real" sequence. To see the humor that was bubbling under the surface for the duration stick to the screen even after the story was finished brought the smile back to my face and made me remember all that worked, letting the more wrong than right final act to dissolve into the background.

This film is about a disgraced journalist trying to hunt down the most wanted war criminal in Bosnia.

I understand that a topic like this would attract rather polarised opinion. Putting aside the historical facts or political opinion, I think this film is well made and acted. It has thrilling and comedic elements. Just as things start to get slow, there are gunshots, car chases and road blocks to pump up the action. And just when the thrill gets too much, there are fun and relaxing scenes. The ending is strong and affecting, and it sends out a strong political message (or protest) about how the West is not doing their job. Jesse Eisenberg's role as Benjamin is a little redundant, but still I thought "The Hunting Party" was a good film.

Gonzo reporting (definition): "Reporting where the journalists involve themselves so much in the story, they become the story. Normally shows an iconoclastic disregard for authority"

Yup. That's that in a nutshell...

I have to say I enjoyed it - it is immensely cynical at its core, covered with a veneer of good intentions, and is tense, very funny, well acted, and has also if extremely good at pointing out that the international community is failing to deliver worldwide. And if that gets your goat up then you're not going to be any happier once you've seen the movie.

The Hunting Party is goodly warped effort by all involved to explain the absolute lunacy that war brings out in people - both the horror and the humour. I would add that the horror in the film is not of the limbs blown off variety, but rather less blood, but unthinkable sadism is still shown without seeing the act itself, and the film concentrates on dealing more with the wretched aftermath of savageness.

The story is a simple one: a group of journalists unimpressed by their own careers, one (Terence Howard) too cushy,one (Richard Gere) washed up, and one (Jesse Eisenberg) just beginning, think they are covering the 5 year anniversary of Balkan peace and instead are convinced by Richard Gere to form a hunting party to track down and capture their own malcreant, and not just any but the big daddy of them all, and get the scoop of the century - Radoslav Bogdanović - The Fox.

They go for any number of reasons: for personal reasons, for the professional challenge, for the rewards, whatever, and off they go.

From the off the tone of the film is satirical, cynical, and laugh out loud funny - if you have any sense that the world doesn't work like you'd want it to then this is a great film to watch.

The film is populated with off the wall moments and characters but it remains watchable throughout. The three leads are nicely poised between manic madness and exhausted coolness, and it comes across as mature film-making throughout.

It is worth staying for the credits and seeing how this film supports the local Balkan film industry rather than simply shipping in the crew.

All over a really nice cynical take on the madness of war, its aftermath, and how gonzo journalism might having actually have a role to play in saving the world from blowing itself up the kazoo.

In 1995, the reckless but efficient war correspondent Simon Hunt (Richard Gere) and his cameraman Duck (Terrence Howard) are covering the war in Bosnia. After a massacre in a Muslin village, Simon has a meltdown live on TV; he is fired and discredited by the network and disappears in the world of journalism while Duck is promoted, working for the famous anchor Franklin Harris (James Brolin). Five years later, while covering the peace in Bosnia with Franklin and the son of the network's VP Benjamin Strauss (Jesse Eisenberg), Duck is visited by Simon who convinces his friend to chase the most wanted war criminal Boghdanovic a.k.a. The Fox (Ljubomir Kerekes), who has a five million dollar reward, for an interview. Ben joins the group in a journey to Celebici, in the border of Republic Srpska and Montenegro. However, Simon discloses the real intention of their hunting while they are mistaken as a CIA hit squad getting into serious trouble.

"The Hunting Party" is a surprisingly funny and entertaining movie. The story denounces like in a joke the lack of interest in capturing and the dirty deals of UN, NATO, CIA and other agencies with criminals of war; Simon asks the CIA Operative how could they find The Fox in two days and CIA is not able to find him. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available