The Hunter (1980)

The story of professional bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson.

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writers:

Ted Leighton (screenplay), Peter Hyams (screenplay)

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve McQueen	...	Papa Thorson
Eli Wallach	...	Ritchie Blumenthal
Kathryn Harrold	...	Dotty
LeVar Burton	...	Tommy Price
Ben Johnson	...	Sheriff Strong
Richard Venture	...	Spota
Tracey Walter	...	Rocco Mason
Thomas Rosales Jr.	...	Bernardo (as Tom Rosales)
Teddy Wilson	...	Winston Blue (as Theodore Wilson)
Ray Bickel	...	Luke Branch
Bobby Bass	...	Matthew Branch
Karl Schueneman	...	Billie Joe
Margaret Mary O'Hara	...	Child on Subway (as Margaret O'Hara)
James Spinks	...	Angry Car Owner
Frank Delfino	...	Poker Player

Storyline

In order to track down bail jumpers, Ralph 'Papa' Thorson goes on a series of routine and not-so-routine searches. Sometimes he takes down his quarry easily. At other times, he's forced to extreme measures which result in the injury or death of a lawbreaker. And then again, there are other moments when his own life is on the line. It's all enough to make Thorson question what he has done with his life.

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Plot Keywords:

bounty hunter | pregnant girlfriend | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | reluctant hero | tough guy | 

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Taglines:

The incredible true story of Ralph 'Papa' Thorson. He's a modern day bounty hunter and that's what makes him dangerous.

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le chasseur

Filming Locations:

Joliet, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$16,274,150, 31 December 1980

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rastar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve McQueen came up with the idea of going against his famous car racing abilities by portraying Papa Thorson as a terrible driver.

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Goofs

In the elevated train sequence, the villain "Bernardo" is shown outside the train car as "papa" is first shown on the roof of the train. In the next cut, he is still inside the train, about to exit.

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Quotes

Ralph 'Papa' Thorson: I'm getting too old for this shit.

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Alternate Versions

The US release features a score by French composer , one sequence is scored by 'Charles Bernstein'. The European dubbed versions (in French, Spanish, Italian, and German) feature only the music of 'Charles Bernstein'. Omitted in these versions are also the passages of source music from McQueen's/Papa's radio (Opera). The region 1 DVD made by Paramount for the US market features only the American version. The region 2 DVD also made by Paramount, this time for the European market, features both scores: Legrand's score on the English language track, Bernstein's score on the tracks in Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

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Connections

Referenced in Shameless: Strangers on a Train (2014)

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Soundtracks

Sempre Libera
from opera "La Traviata"
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi (as Verdi)
Performed by Pamela Hicks

User Reviews

Steve McQueen

No nasty words about this film, i was in the cinema on it's release and at the end of the film the manager came out to inform everyone {it was a packed house} that Steve McQueen sadly passed away, i still remember that moment 24 years on....the film my not be his greatest but i loved it......... I have since seen it a number of times and will continue to sit through whenever it's shown on TV. Steve McQueen, it's good to be in the same room as him, even if it is via the wonders of science. So enjoy the moment when you do see this film, or enjoy them again, if you have seen it, i would loved to have been on set with the great guy himself.