A ruthless rancher, and his gang, use extremely long range rifles to kill the men who kidnapped his infidel wife.
Get all you need to know about director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Golden Globe-nominated adventure-survival film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
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Title: The Hunting Party (1971)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Oliver Reed | ... |
Frank Calder
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| Gene Hackman | ... |
Brandt Ruger
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| Candice Bergen | ... |
Melissa Ruger
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| Simon Oakland | ... |
Matthew Gunn
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Ronald Howard | ... |
Watt Nelson
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| L.Q. Jones | ... |
Hog Warren
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| Mitchell Ryan | ... |
Doc Harrison
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William Watson | ... |
Jim Loring
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| G.D. Spradlin | ... |
Sam Bayard
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Rayford Barnes | ... |
Crimp
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| Bernard Kay | ... |
Buford King
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Richard Adams | ... |
Owney Clark
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Dean Selmier | ... |
Collins
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Sarah Atkinson | ... |
Redhead
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| Francesca Tu | ... |
Chinese Girl
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Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
The rich and ruthless rancher Brandt Ruger keeps his beautiful young wife Melissa like a part of his property, subdued to his will. But one day she's kidnapped by the famous outlaw Frank Calder - just to teach him reading, so he tells her. Calder doesn't know or care who's wife she is. He takes care of her well, and eventually Melissa falls in love with him. But Ruger feels humiliated. Full of hate, he sets out to kill him - and Melissa too, if necessary. Together with his friends and the newest technology in guns, which carry 800 yards, he initiates a battue on Calder and his gang. Written by Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>
Taglines:
A Rich Man's Sport. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 September 1971 (Japan) See more »Also Known As:
Cacería implacable See more »Filming Locations:
SpainBox Office
Gross:
SEK 527,257 (Sweden)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Melissa Ruger: Brandt. Stop! Brandt?
Brandt Ruger: Get dressed.
Melissa Ruger: Brandt, why do we...
Brandt Ruger: Get dressed!
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Dick Bush was the DOP for 2 weeks before being fire(Source 007 by Alec Mills) See more »Goofs
The first two shots from the bolt action rifles are too quick for a reload. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Melissa Ruger: Brandt. Stop! Brandt?
Brandt Ruger: Get dressed.
Melissa Ruger: Brandt, why do we...
Brandt Ruger: Get dressed!
See more »
Why this film is still so obscure and unknown goes beyond my – admittedly limited – comprehension. It has a good plot, albeit obviously a response to "The Wild Bunch" and basically just another (western) interpretation of the legendary classic "The Most Dangerous Game", the cast is excellent with both Gene Hackman and Oliver Reed in great shape and there's plenty of rough and gritty violence. The filming locations are exquisite and – possibly to further cash in on the success of Italian Spaghetti westerns – the producers even hired and Italian composer. Riz Ortolani's music is definitely one of the best elements about the film. Gene Hackman was never as vicious as here in this movie, portraying Brandt Ruger; a rich, obnoxious and egocentric bank owner who enjoys throwing hunting parties for his selected circle of equally depraved and wealthy friends. When a posse of bandits, led by the ever handsome Oliver Reed, kidnaps his wife, Brandt alters the route of their planned hunting trip and goes after them. Not so much because he loves his wife (played by the ravishing Candice Bergen), as he actually neglects and abuses her all the time, but because he's Brandt Ruger and nobody is supposed to touch what belongs to him. Ruger gets crazier and more determined to raise a bloodbath with each minute that passes, whilst his wife and her abductor fall in love. Hackman's character is truly the nastiest and most hateful type of villain there is: relentless, mad and unpredictable, but also cowardly as he continuously avoids confrontation with his opponents and shoots them from a safe distance with his technically advanced riffle. "The Hunting Party" is slightly overlong and contains a handful of tedious sequences, notably the romantic parts and the whole sub plot revolving on Melissa learning her kidnapper how to read. Still, there's always some type of ominous atmosphere, since you expect Gene and his docile accomplices to pop up out of nowhere at any given moment. The climax is very powerful, haunting and even quite depressing. The action is of course rather monotonous, since we exclusively witness people getting shot, but the images of cowboys dying in slow motion (and bathing in blood) are gritty and exploitative. The three leads are amazing and "The Hunting Party" comes with my highest possible recommendation if it were only for witnessing the final showdown between Reed and Hackman, two of the greatest actors that ever lived.