The Hunter
Watching Willem Dafoe hunt a Tasmanian Devil while bonding with a family is well worth the four dollar rental. The movie feels familiar but works as a hybrid. Watching a man hunt an extinct creature is a neat concept. I guess it is the ultimate journey looking for an animal that may or may not exist. The lone hunter against the lone beast. Man vs. nature. Viewer vs. not thinking about Dafoe’s character from Life Aquatic while watching The Hunter.
The vistas of Tasmania are why I watched this film. It is a world unknown to me aside from a few pcitures and clips. I wanted to see a man immersed in it while hunting its most treasured creature. The movie moves slowly towards the inevitable showdown. Along the way the lone mercenary befriends a family, shoots several creatures and gets multiple dirty looks from Sam Neil.
The movie is a hybrid between a quiet hunting film and a man starting to belong in a community. It never reaches the blending of poetry and suspense it chases but it delivers us to a new world with a familiar plot. The Hunter is a showcase for Willem Dafoe and allows him to flex his acting muscles and beard growing skills.
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