As the majority of reviewers here have pointed out, this film has strong echoes of films that have been done earlier and better. It reminded me of those old low budget women in prison movies shot in the Philippines - the only difference being the women in this film get to keep their bras and panties on.
Written by two men, it's supposed to be a feminist thriller. And that calls to mind the 1982 "feminist" slasher film The Slumber Party Massacre by Rita Mae Brown, which was ironically loaded with t'n'a and other sexist standard conventions. But at least that film matched the quality of films in its genre.
Hunt Club pulls its punches. While there's plenty of spilled blood, we're spared some of the gory kills, probably due to budgetary limitations.
The costumes do stand out, but not in a good way. When the two male leads first appeared, I thought they were dressed for some Lone Ranger and Tonto cowboy and Indian cosplay. And both male and female actors are decked out in the gaudiest cowboy boots imaginable. I kept thinking it had to be a "perk" for the stars.
The script is structurally sound but the story lacks the kind of Death Wish credibility that makes reenge films work and the cliched dialog isn't helped by the pretentious references to ancient mythology. The plot is paper thin and its premise is ludicrous. The characters are preposterous.
I feel sorry for Mena Suvari. I'm sure she had high expectations for this, based on the director's stated objective to make meaningful films. And I have to wonder about who runs the show at Uncork'd. The quality of their movies is all over the place.
