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

Ralph Thorson: The Real "Papa" Thorson plays the bartender at the bar where Steve McQueen drinks after a character commits suicide.

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Goofs

When Papa goes to pick up the Branch Brothers, he gets surprised by a tossed lit bundle of dynamite at his feet. As he runs away in slow motion the dynamite explodes behind him, throwing him into the air and his feet out in front of him as he lands on his back. A second later, grass lands in his face from the explosion behind him, but it comes clearly from the front, thrown by crew.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.21 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Della sua pace
from opera "Don Giovanni"
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Mozart)
Performed by Robin Reed

User Reviews

Not great, but good

This is surely not McQueens best Movie ever. But it's fun to watch and the fact, that he insisted on playing a terrible car driver makes it even more enjoyable. The worst part of this movie is clearly its terrible musical score. It's just irritating. While most action scenes (like the famous Subway Chase) are not dubbed, the movie gets an almost soap opera like touch (barely watchable) when Steve is with his girlfried. I watched this movie the first time when I was 14 and now (20 years later) I found it on the DVD shelf in Walmart and bought it, because I liked it so much the first time I saw it.