Tommy Lee Jones faces off against Benicio Del Toro in director William Friedkin’s lean and mean action thriller The Hunted. New to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber.
The Film
The short version of this review is this: Friedkin decided to make his own version of First Blood. I’m not mad at it; in fact I love it. The Hunted is Friedkin at his leanest and meanest. A film with no fat or gristle on it. In that economical style of storytelling, Friedkin found one of his best late-era films that outdoes much of the action programmers of the era. It does help that both Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro are actively engaged throughout the film as the leads of the pic.
Part of the brilliance of the film is the story set up is so simple it’s almost biblical; the master LT (Jones) must come to terms that he must kill his protégée Hallam (Del Toro) even though the master has never killed but has done nothing but train people to kill. The Hunted is both a stark thrilling action film and a morality play – one in which we are never told how to feel. A film of dueling narratives of the hunter and hunted – often switching roles until their eventual confrontation.
Friedkin’s film is aided greatly by both his leads who at every turn give him exactly what he needs from them. There’s a stoic realism that both Jones and Del Toro imbue their characters with that if it was anyone other the Friedkin directing the film would flat line. In his hands and his pseudo-documentary style, The Hunted is an acutely crafted film in subtly that we don’t often get in action films. We are often told everything through dialog and info dumps of plots – which this film does to a minimum, allowing Jones and Del Toro to just essentially vibe and inhabit the physicality of the piece.
The Hunted is the type of film that isn’t just forceful with its action set pieces but its entire story. Part of its brilliance is how boldly and quickly it tells its story. However, if one considers that this is the very style of the best of William Friedkin’s films – it makes complete sense as The Hunted is one of his very best. Just one that the masses have not discovered … yet.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is another huge win for Kino Lorber and a masterful version of the 35mm lensed film. The film has never looked more refined or accomplished than in 4K. The Dolby Vision encoding makes the image pop. The opening moments alone in the hellfire of Kosovo as it is being firebombed by NATO is an amazing visual scene that sets the table for just how effective the transfer is with its use of darkness and firebombing illumination. The transfer never falters in its high dynamic range and ability to have subtly in the lows and peaks of the image. The transfer is wonderfully verbose in its color reproduction and sharpness of the image. The cinematography by Caleb Deschanel perfectly transitioned to 4K. There is nary a scratch or blemish on the image. Kino Lorber has delivered a flawless 4K UHD transfer of the film.
Note: The Blu-ray and 4K UHD are sourced from the same new 4K scan of the OCN.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin
- Pursuing The Hunted: Featurette
- Filming The Hunted: Featurette
- Tracking The Hunted: Featurette
- The Cutting Edge – The Hunted: Featurette
- 6 Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailers
NOTE: The audio commentary is the only feature that resides in the 4K UHD.
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
The archival Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin is still a relevant track over twenty years later. The director opens with a discussion of meeting Tom Brown who is a professional tracker – and his work with the military advisor training special forces – and this meeting being the germination of the story that would become The Hunted. Some of the details include Brown’s creation of two knives (one from stone that could be made from any stone in the forrest and the other made of metal from a normal car) – how Brown trained special forces to kill but having never killed him; the finding of the Griffith’s original spec script – and the merging of his idea with their screenplay to form what would eventually become The Hunted; the reasons for opening in Kosovo – and the war and genocide that was happening during that time; the reason why he casts to regional actors to the location he’s filming in and the authenticity they bring; the work and collaboration between he and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel – including practical discussion natural lighting, F-Stops, et.al. techniques they used to accomplish the moody look; the lack of storyboarding on his part and what this brings to him – and specifically in this film; his use of Johnny Cash’s song from the opening which is a Bob Dylan cover, and how it came about – and the story of Abraham and its meaning in the film; the editing of the film and the shaping of the film that The Hunted eventually came to be – which was not Friedkin’s initial intent and how the film dictates its own shape; the different approaches that Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro take to the acting; a larger discussion of working with the various actors and their different approaches; a larger discussion of the techniques that Brown actually uses in real world and how they were applied in the story; and much more. Again, Friedkin is a truly great commentator with a direct unfettered approach to discussing the making of The Hunted. The director takes each scene and breaks it down piece by piece with the reasons – be it logistical, political, historical, artistic – that motivates the action there within. This is a masterclass discussion that should be required listening to any would-be action film director.
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
Pursuing The Hunted: Featurette (8:07) – is an archival featurette from the original DVD release of the film focusing on director William Friedkin’s development of the story that began with the meeting of tracker Tom Brown twenty years prior. Featuring comments by Friedkin, stars Benicio Del Toro, Connie Nielsen, Tommy Lee Jones, co-producer/co-writer Art Monterastelli, and tracker Brown.
Filming The Hunted: Featurette (9:33) – is an archival featurette from the original DVD release of the film focusing on the shooting and filmmaking style that was employed by William Friedkin and the cast and crew to accomplish the economy and speed in which he wanted to tell the film – including a discussion of the car chase that’s the centerpiece of the film. Comments by director Friedkin, producer James Jacks, stunt coordinator Buddy Lee Hooker, star Jones, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and others.
Tracking The Hunted: Featurette (4:26) – is an archival featurette from the original DVD release of the film focusing on the work of advisor and real-life tracker Tom Brown. Comments by Brown.
The Cutting Edge – The Hunted: Featurette (8:41) – is an archival featurette from the original DVD release of the film focusing on the finale that’s set at a real-life damn, the challenging work required to film there, and the knife fight that ensues. Comments by director Friedkin, producer Jacks, stunt coordinator Hooker, stars Jones, Del Toro, prop master Barry Bedig, and knife fight choreographers Tom Kier and Rafael Kayanan.
Deleted Scenes (9:47) – The deleted scenes can be played together with the Play All function on the disc or individually. They break down into 6 scenes:
- FBI Sting Section (2:54)
- Chenoweth Arrives at Zander’s (1:17)
- Bonham Climbs a Tree (2:51)
- Van Zandt says Hallam’s Gone (0:43)
- Bible Reading and Loretta’s Bedtime (1:20)
- Rock Trap in the Woods (0:43)
Rounding out the special features are trailers for The Hunted (2:22); To Live and Die in LA (2:08); Rules of Engagement (2:21); Bug (1:22); Blown Away (1:35); The Usual Suspects (2:28)
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber has given The Hunted a marvelous upgrade to 4K UHD. Highest Possible Recommendations!!!