I am quite surprised that The Hunted got such negative reviews, many find it a crude recycling of old ideas. Although it may not be an unflawed masterpiece, to me it was very exciting and even thought-provoking. One thing that may have disappointed some is the simplicity of the storyline: Jones chases Del Toro, that's about it. In the beginning an animal wounded by hunters is found and nurtured. This is a very obvious metaphor to what happens later with the deranged ex army assassin played by Del Toro. To me the films strength is in its very simple and rugged style, it delivers its points clearly without any excess sugarcoating, romances, background stories etc. Under the simplicity lies food for thought. Instead of making him a noble brother in arms, the military training and warfare have turned the assassin into an animal. Instead of showing Del Toro just as a mad ecoterrorist he actually makes some good points: "Did you see the scopes of those hunters? They were not hunting those animals, they were SWEEPING them". If you like rugged adventure with brains, check this film out. I can't quarantee you like it, because for some inexplicable reason many don't.
Review of The Hunted
