The plot centres around a group of high-powered individuals
Netflix is about to axe an action-thriller that’s been dubbed “the most talked about movie” of 2020. ‘The Hunt’ is a controversial American action-horror flick that sparked conversation with its release.
The creators have explained that it’s a satirical take on the stark political polarisation between the American left and right.
The plot centres around a group of high-powered individuals who abduct everyday people for sport, chasing them down. The film follows 12 unaware strangers who find themselves in a foreign environment, clueless until they decide to take a stand.
The ensemble features twice Oscar-awarded Hilary Swank, Betty Gilpin (known from Glow), Emma Roberts (of American Horror Story fame), Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl), Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Ike Barinholtz (The Studio), and Macon Blair (cast in Oppenheimer).
Upon its trailer debut, the film faced scrutiny, particularly from some conservative commentators, over scenes that portrayed Trump supporters being pursued by liberal figures, reports the Express.
Donald Trump publicly criticised the cinema industry in August 2019 via X, saying a certain unspecific film was designed to provoke and spur chaos.
Although he didn’t name ‘The Hunt’, it was widely interpreted as his target by the media.
The Trump controversy saw ‘The Hunt’ brand itself in promotions as “the most talked about movie of the year no one’s actually seen”.
Kyle Smith of the National Review suggested the film carries a right-wing, anti-liberal message that he believes was misconstrued by conservative viewers of its initial trailer.
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film boasts a 57% approval rating, garnered from 276 reviews, alongside an average rating of 5.9/10.
The critical consensus on the site states: “The Hunt is successful enough as a darkly humorous action thriller, but it shoots wide of the mark when it aims for timely social satire.”
Meanwhile, Metacritic assigns the film a score of 50 out of 100, derived from the opinions of 45 critics, denoting “mixed or average” reviews.
CinemaScore-conducted audience polls reveal the film earned an average grade of “C+” on a scale spanning A+ to F.
The Wall Street Journal offered a distinct perspective: “This gleeful, gross-out gorefest looks as tacky and violent as its trackdown plot would suggest, and lives up to certain parts of its bad reputation.
“It is also funny, genuinely topical, extremely shrewd and, heaven help us, slyly wise.”
