The Hunting Party - I cacciatori

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

Just got back from the premiere at Venice, where a huge round of applause acknowledged the film's quality as well as Richard Gere's enduring star status.

As society and modern youth get serious again, so Hollywood follows the trend, as movies tackle war corruption and hypocrisy following Clooney, Gore et al's lead. Shephard manages to combine thriller with humour and quips without it becoming a cheesy Lethal Weapon type ride. That's due mainly to sterling performances from Gere, reinvigorates after The Hoax, and Howard, showing a comic side after the intensity of 'Crash' Jesse Eisenberg also looks like this role was written for him personally, and the remaining cast are appropriate. The crisp, realistic docu-direction, mainstreamed by Paul Greengrass, has exerted its influence and fits neatly into this film without looking forced.

Therefore, it works - it brings a serious issue to attention with humour, compassion and enough adrenaline to remind one of the risks some people take with their lives for their causes, when most of us take the cosy path of least resistance.

Based on a true story of a trio of Journalists looking for a war criminal in the former Yugoslavia. The Original group included Jon Krakauer, in the movie we have Terrence Howard and Richard Gere. Where originally it started as a bunch of journalists getting drunk and deciding to go out and find the bad guys, here we have Gere as a washed up TV reporter convincing his old camera man and a network executive (who got the job because of nepotism) that he can get an interview with "the Fox" if they are willing to go along with him. They go and things instantly begin to go side ways as nothing is as it seems and no one believes they aren't with the CIA. Not to put too fine a point on it I really liked this film a great deal. Its witty intelligent with lots of likable characters and a real sense of both humor and reality.Its probably three quarters of one of the most enjoyable films of the year (even with the nastiness.) What can I say I'm a sucker for great buddy films and Terrence Howard and Richard Gere have an ease when together that makes you certain that they have been friends for decades. Its magical. If there is a problem with the film its that the film kind of loses steam toward the end. Somewhere the need for an "ending" kind of gets in the way of things and the film begins to be a bit less...I don't know, fun. Don't get me wrong its still better than many other recent films, but its just disappointing that things have to be "neat". Of course the pre-final credits explanation of whats real and what isn't a scream. See this movie, thats all I have to say. See it and go with its vibe and I think you'll have a good time.

And forgive me for being spotty about things since I'm trying not to say too much since not knowing what happens is part of the joy.

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.

The picture is set during 2000, five years after the Bosnian/Servian war.A successful cameraman named Duck (Terrence Howard), a discredited journalist affected for war named Simon Hunt (Richard Gere) and a youngster correspondent named Strauss (Jesse Eisenberg) undergo an unauthorized mission to find the most wanted war criminal in Servia. They find themselves in serious danger when are chased and mistaken as a CIA agents and their objective, the Fox/ Rodovan Karadzic (Kerekes), the number one war criminal, decides to come after them.

The film is an adventure that embark a motley trio (Gere-Goddard-Eisenberg) posing as a hit squad and looking for a famous war criminal who bears remarkable resemblance to Radovan Karadzic. The story blends action, thought-provoking drama, thrills and some of humor with tongue in cheek . It packs a relentless critical to International Community, as UN, NATO, European countries because they are not only attempt on keeping him whereabout secret, but will oppose anyone who even intent to locate him . However he was arrested in Belgrade on 21 July 2008 and brought before Belgrade's War Crimes Court a few days later. He was extradited to the Netherlands, and is currently in The Hague, in the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia .Karadžić is accused by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of personal and command responsibility for numerous war crimes committed against non-Serbs, in his roles as Supreme Commander of the Bosnian Serb armed forces and President of the National Security Council of the Republika Srpska. He is accused by the same authority of being responsible for the deaths of more than 7500 Muslims. Under his direction and command, Bosnian Serb forces initiated the Siege of Sarajevo. He is accused of ordering the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, directing Bosnian Serb forces to "create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival of life" in the UN safe area. In addition, he is accused of ordering that United Nations personnel be taken hostage in May-June 1995.He was jointly indicted by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 1995, along with General Ratko Mladić.

The movie contains an excellent main cast as Richard Gere and Terrence Howard and good secondary cast as Diane Kruger, James Brolin as anchor man , Dylan Baker as CIA agent and of course The Fox/ Karadzic played by Kerekes. It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography by the prestigious David Tattersall .Good and adequate musical score by Rolfe Kent with some Eastern sounds. The flick is professionally written and directed by Richard Shepard. He's writer, producer and a fine cinema director (Matador, Mexico city, Oxygen), though nowadays he exclusively works for television (Ugly Betty, Criminal minds, among others). Rating : Better tan average , well wort seeing. The motion picture will appeal to Richard Gere fans.