Death Hunt – Review
92 Minutes, Not Rated
Written by Neil Mackay and Sean McAuley
Directed by Neil Mackay
Synopsis:
A developer and his mistress, travelling to their weekend retreat, are taken hostage by a group of men and brought to a remote island. Here they fight for survival as the men release them into the wild and hunt them for sport.
Another year, another adaptation of “The Most Dangerous Game.” This is actually kind of the second one I’ve looked at this year, after screening Escape the Field a few months back.
That one, at least, had a more intricate back-story going for it, even if it wasn’t fully explored for us. Death Hunt is a pretty non-descript title, and as its name implies, it ends up being a pretty generic take on the 1924 Richard Connell short story.
Set in 1989 (I have no idea why it needs to be set in 1989, mind you, but it is), Ray Harper is trying to convince a community in Northern Michigan to all his development company to build there, and he’s bought off the key politicians to do so.
He’s also driving around with his mistress, Brooke, but as they’re leaving the small town to get to their weekend hideaway, they’re stopped by a sheriff and kidnapped by two guys in a truck working with him.
Why? Well, because they were there, I suppose…
Taken to an island, they’re made to run so the three guys can hunt them.
After that, this is pretty by-the-numbers survival stuff. Of course, Brooke survives and — spoiler alert — kills the three after Ray is gunned down early.
So many stupid decisions here. I’ll allow that Ray manages to club the sheriff with a branch and steal his Uzi (but not immediately kill him), but what I will not allow is that the three guys leave the Uzi laying next to Ray’s body after they kill him so Brooke can pick it up and use it against them.
Speaking of Uzis, is it Chekovian to say that the sheriff wanting to use the Uzi so he can see someone “do a jig” (as the gangbanger who died from it supposedly did) only for him to end up the one dancing? Or is it just poor writing?
I don’t know, but it’s dumb.
Brooke survives, kills the boat driver when he returns to pick up the hunters, then charts a course back to land using the compass she had given Ray earlier in the movie as a gift.
Ugh.
Skip it. There is nothing to distinguish this movie from any of the countless other adaptations, and it falls far short of most of them.
Death Hunt is now available on DVD and Digital and stars Marlene Malcolm, Omar Tucci, Rick Amsbury, Greg Johnston, Peter Lewis, and Frank Ieraci.
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