This movie was just added On Demand because theaters are closed
I’m part of a mixed marriage. I am on the Right and my wife is on the Left.
They are too polite to say it to my face, but I’m guessing the other Left-wingers in my wife’s life have probably asked questions about me.
“I hadn’t noticed this about max, but I guess he must be uneducated and quite dumb, right?” “How do you put up with all the racist and anti-gay stuff that he presumably starts saying as soon as he gets home every night?”
Fortunately, I’m pretty sure that no one has suggested that she should kill me because I am on the wrong side of the political divide.
“The Hunt” imagines an America where Leftists actually do want to murder Right-wingers for our beliefs. It is funnier, more enjoyable, and less political than I was expecting.
The film begins on a private jet, where a group of rich liberals are embarking on a well-planned vacation. In the back of the plane, drugged and unconscious, are their unwitting conservative travel partners. The liberals are going to drop the deplorables off in a forest and then kill them for satisfaction and sport.
At first, it seems like “The Hunt” is a conventional horror movie. But it starts to get good when we meet one of the hunt victims: Crystal.
We immediately recognize Crystal (Betty Gilpin) as the smartest person in the movie. She kills her first two liberals because of her savvy, not her toughness. But Crystal is a veteran, too, and handy with a gun.
But she isn’t another indestructible hot lady killing machine. There are way too many of those in modern cinema. Crystal is a real woman and a taciturn enigma. This is an exceptional performance by Betty Gilpin. You’ll definitely root for her. And by the end you’ll kind of love her in a non-romantic way.
Yes: even you, Leftist readers. She is from Mississippi and the elitists wrongly assume she’s a Republican, but Crystal is the only character who never says anything political. Director Craig Zobel is careful to make sure that liberal viewers are able to root for her, too.
It’s ridiculous that “The Hunt” got flack for being too partisan and divisive. The people who criticized it probably didn’t actually watch the movie. It is as non-partisan as it can be.
Some of the Conservatives are portrayed as conspiracy-minded kooks. But hopefully every sane person is turned off by dumb, hateful conspiracies. Most Right-wingers are embarrassed by Alex Jones, I assure you.
Some of the Liberals are eye-rollingly careful not to say anything controversial about racial minorities. But the film’s anti-PC attitude is hardly a bold political stance. Our president is essentially an insult comic and it is no coincidence that the Democratic front-runner is by far the least woke of the primary candidates. Wokeness is a way of life for 20% of America and a sick joke to the vast majority of us.
“The Hunt” doesn’t take any chances or make any deep points. It just entertains us with over-the-top violence and an amazing leading lady.
“The Hunt” is not a satire. It bares no resemblance to our current society. There actually was a time in American history when political differences led people to murder and maim men who felt differently than them. Fortunately, it is no longer 1861. In 2020, my wife and I will vote for the opposite candidates again and then go home to play with our cats.