Death Hunt (1981)

In 1931 Canada, Yukon trapper Johnson has a feud with a dog owner who later retaliates by publicly accusing Johnson of murder and thus triggering a police manhunt in the wilderness.

Director:

Peter R. Hunt (as Peter Hunt)

Writers:

Michael Grais, Mark Victor

Stars:

Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Andrew Stevens

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Bronson	...	Albert Johnson
Lee Marvin	...	Millen
Andrew Stevens	...	Alvin
Carl Weathers	...	Sundog
Ed Lauter	...	Hazel
Scott Hylands	...	The Pilot
Angie Dickinson	...	Vanessa McBride
Henry Beckman	...	Bill Luce
William Sanderson	...	Ned Warren
Jon Cedar	...	Hawkins
James O'Connell	...	Hurley
Len Lesser	...	Lewis
Richard Davalos	...	Beeler (as Dick Davalos)
Maury Chaykin	...	Clarence
August Schellenberg	...	Deak De Bleargue

Storyline

Canada 1931: The unsociable trapper Johnson lives for himself in the ice-cold mountains near the Yukon river. During a visit in the town he witnesses a dog-fight. He interrupts the game and buys one of the dogs - almost dead already - for $200 against the owner's will. When the owner Hasel complains to Mountie Sergeant Millen, he refuses to take action. But then the loathing breeder and his friends accuse Johnson of murder. So Millen, although sympathetic, has to try to take him under arrest - but Johnson defends his freedom in every way possible.

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Plot Keywords:

fur | landscape | executor | manslaughter | huntsman | 

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Taglines:

The Saga Of Two Rivals Who Clash As Enemies And Triumph As Heroes.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA Hong Kong

Language:

English

Release Date:

1981 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Arctic Rampage

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Northshore Investments Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This motion picture's opening title card reads: "Yukon Territory November 1931".

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Goofs

When Johnson is trapped on the cliff and begins preparing to jump into the pine trees, the weather is sunny and there is no snow on the trees. Yet when he jumps, the sky is overcast and the trees are covered with snow; once he is back on the ground, it is sunny again and the snow is gone from the trees.

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Quotes

Vanessa: [to Edgar] Would it make any difference if I waited? If I left now I'd never know what it would have been like with you.

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Connections

Remake of Challenge to Be Free (1975)

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Soundtracks

My Darling Clementine
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Intriguing true story turned into an OK actioner

Charles Bronson has less than fifty words of dialogue in this film, since he spends most of it running through the snow on his own pursued by the mounties, but it is still one of his better films from the late seventies and early eighties era.

He plays the real life character Albert Johnson, a fur trapper who killed some people in a dispute over dogs and went on the run in territory which had never been crossed during the ferocious Arctic winter. He successfully got away from them, despite the fact that they had many men, dogs and even an aeroplane to help them to track him down.

This movie version is simple blood and thunder stuff, with a starry cast, some strong language and a handful of sparkling action sequences. It has weak points too, such as the wasted character played by Angie Dickinson, and a few slow patches in terms of pacing. However, when you think that Bronson was mainly working on such dross as The Evil That Men Do, Death Wish II, and Ten to Midnight at this point in his career, this is at least a slightly above-average film worthy of his rugged talents.