The Hunting Party (1971)

Director:

Don Medford

Writers:

Gilbert Ralston (story) and
Lou Morheim (story) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Western | Action

Tagline:

They Hunted The Biggest Game Of All - Man And Woman!

Plot:

The rich and ruthless rancher Brandt Ruger keeps his beautiful young wife Melissa like a part of his property...

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Love | Outlaw | Rape | Revenge

Cast

Oliver Reed	...	Frank Calder
Gene Hackman	...	Brandt Ruger
Candice Bergen	...	Melissa Ruger
Simon Oakland	...	Matthew Gunn
Ronald Howard	...	Watt Nelson
L.Q. Jones	...	Hog Warren
Mitch Ryan	...	Doc Harrison (as Mitchell Ryan)
William Watson	...	Jim Loring
G.D. Spradlin	...	Sam Bayard
Rayford Barnes	...	Crimp
Bernard Kay	...	Buford King
Richard Adams	...	Owney Clark
Dean Selmier	...	Collins
Sarah Atkinson	...	Redhead
Francesca Tu	...	Chinese Girl

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:R | Germany:18 (DVD rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:X (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company:

Brighton Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: Gene Hackman's rifle (the caliber of which was unclear) is sufficiently powerful to kill from several hundred yards, yet he presses his eye against the scope eyepiece with no consequences. Any rifle that powerful has a significant kick, one that would have certainly damaged both his eye and the surrounding area.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Honkers (1972)

Exciting and very dramatic western

This movie had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. As wild westerns go, this ranks near the top. It's very well paced, and the acting is superb. Plot twists and the unfolding of well-developed characters sustain the movies' tension to the end.

Oliver Reed is stunning as Frank Calder, the tough leader of an outlaw gang who wants to learn to read. Thinking she is a schoolteacher who can teach him his letters, he kidnaps Melissa (Candice Bergman), the wife of the very wealthy Brant Rudger (Gene Hackman). Rudger, a cruel sadist and absolute dictator, talks his wealthy cronies into hunting down the outlaw gang and picking them off one by one with high-powered rifles. But he proposes it more as a game of revenge or sport than out of love or fear for his wife's safety.

Calder and Rudger are both brutal men, but Calder values human life and relationships while the Rudger cares only for indulging his passions at any cost. Though his friends start to sicken of the game and beg him to stop, Rudger won't be deterred from the game.

As the movie develops, Oliver Reed's scenes crackle with tension, energy, and a depth of sexuality that may surprise those who are more familiar with his roles as the heavy or antagonist. Gene Hackman's character brings a single-minded intensity to the movie that has rarely been matched on screen. Candice Bergman gives a feisty performance and carries off a difficult role very well. Her character is caught, both literally and figuratively in a war of emotions, in a terrifying conflict.

I agree with the prior reviewer who says this needs to be released on DVD! With so many bad movie DVD's out there, I'm surprised this one's potential has been overlooked for so long. Frankly, I would love to see it on the big screen.