‘The Hunt’ review: Elites shoot the ‘deplorables’ in this ugly misfire
There simply aren’t enough synonyms for “loathsome” to do the new movie “The Hunt” justice. Perhaps if we expand into other languages. C’est détestable! È ripugnante!
Take the phone texting conversation the so-called satire begins with: “Did you see what our ratf - - ker-in-chief just did?” says one person.
“At least the hunt’s coming up,” replies another. “Nothing better than going to the manor and shooting a dozen deplorables.”
You might find yourself thinking, “Wasn’t this dumb movie canceled last year after social media eviscerated the trailer?” Yes, but fool-er heads prevailed, and it’s now receiving a wide release. Let’s just say it’s not only the CDC telling you to stay home this weekend.
Soon, 12 dirty people awake in a forest, gagged and confused about where they are. They were drugged at their homes on Staten Island, in Wyoming and Orlando and plopped here.
The group finds a wooden crate in a nearby field. They pry it open to discover a pig and a small armory — and then the killing spree begins. Unseen snipers start taking them out one by one, as the group scrambles to survive. They include big stars — Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, Betty Gilpin — some of whom don’t make it through their first scene.
We learn this carnage is called “Manorgate,” an event whispered about on far-right conspiracy websites in which the “elites” murder their ideological (and socioeconomic) opposites for sport.
While that premise is a tad nauseating, a finer, funnier film could’ve turned it into a dystopian cautionary tale, or a blistering takedown of our national rift. “The Hunt” is none of those things. It is ugly, divisive, useless garbage without an ounce of wit, intellect or even camp.
Crystal (Gilpin), a femme fatale whose killer instinct is only explained by her support of the Second Amendment, escapes to a roadside convenience store. However, we quickly learn it’s yet another cleverly disguised shooting range.
Says one of the killers: “For the record, climate change … it is real!” before throwing a deadly gas bomb. Another weapon-wielding elite in a later scene declares, “Ava DuVernay just liked one of my posts!” I suppose some might argue that this is equal-opportunity mudslinging, a la “South Park.” To them I say, “South Park” is funny!
From then on, the secrets revealed about Manorgate, and its leader Athena (two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, who hopefully got lost on the wrong studio lot), are uninspired, and we never root for any of the crudely crafted characters on either side of the aisle. For gore fans, director Craig Zobel’s violence sequences are generic.
Written by Nick Cuse of “The Leftovers” and Damon Lindelof of “Lost,” “The Hunt” should be infinitely better — a politically prescient spin on the bloody Japanese classic “Battle Royale.” But it’s a film that exists solely to provoke. Driving that point home, its poster is covered in mean press quotes from when its release was first postponed.
I hope I’ve provided it with a few more.