"The Hunt:" A movie about hunting "deplorables" for fun

[puddleglum]

@Velocity

People are significantly more intelligent than any hunted animal, and are also motivated to hurt/kill the hunter in a way that a hunted animal might not necessarily be (the hunted animal just wants you to leave it alone.)

People are more intelligent but most are not able to harness that intelligence in a way to threaten the hunters. If you gave the hunted time and weapons that would be one thing but then it would be war and not hunting. Kidnapping random people and setting them loose in the wild without weapons is shooting fish in a barrel.
Only Predator really had it right, in that he was hunting highly trained humans, armed to the teeth, in an active war zone.

[The_Peyote_Coyote]

@puddleglum

What I don’t understand about the “most Dangerous Game” type of movies, is that people would be the easiest prey to hunt. People are slow, bad at blending in, and unless they have a weapon are no threat to the hunter at all. Deer, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, et al would be harder to hunt. Bears, tigers, lions, elephants, boars, etc. could be dangerous to hunt. People not hard or dangerous.

In the short story, Zaroff complains that the sailors he has hunted are poor game for basically all of the reasons you have listed, including the fact that they leave easy trails.

He is pleased to be hunting Rainsford, who is a skilled hunter. Rainsford knows how to move through the jungle without leaving much, if any, trail and sets at least two traps for Zaroff.

[Miller]

@puddleglum

People are more intelligent but most are not able to harness that intelligence in a way to threaten the hunters. If you gave the hunted time and weapons that would be one thing but then it would be war and not hunting. Kidnapping random people and setting them loose in the wild without weapons is shooting fish in a barrel.
Only Predator really had it right, in that he was hunting highly trained humans, armed to the teeth, in an active war zone.

For sure, a “most dangerous game” type who actually wanted a dangerous game would kidnap some Navy SEALs and try to hunt them, not some random stockbroker or convenience store clerk. But I think the subtext in most of these stories is the hunter just wants to murder some people, and the “hunt” aspect is just window dressing.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@Akaj

Sounds like everybody needs to see Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which flips the whole trope on its head. Preppy college students think rednecks are hunting them, and their panicky reactions make the innocent rednecks think they’re the ones being hunted. Splattery and hilarious.

Tucker and Dale is quality filmmaking, and I endorse your post.

[snfaulkner]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

Tucker and Dale is quality filmmaking, and I endorse your post.

Seconded.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

Tucker and Dale does what I’m afraid this movie won’t: it humanizes both sides. A big part of its charm is how it dramatically shifts point of view. The rednecks have a perfectly cromulent (if a little pathetic) discussion with each other about how to flirt with college girls, then one of them walks over, and you’re like, “Oh, he’s kind of a dweeb, but he’s sweet.”

Then the camera shifts to the college girl’s perspective, and you’re in full-on psycho-hillbilly territory, and it’s totally clear why she thinks she’s in a horror movie.

It’s pretty great. Not like a masterpiece of nuance or social statement or anything, it’s a comedy splatter movie after all. But still, scads more nuance than the Hunt looks like it carries off.

[Darren_Garrison]

@Velocity

The studio still plans to go forward with its release, though - September 27.

Or a bit later.

[Defensive_Indifference]

Now that The Hunt is being released, the right-wing freakout over the film looks even more ridiculous

@Media Matters

Fox and other conservative media outlets took aim at The Hunt for supposedly pushing the message that it was acceptable to hunt “deplorables” for sport. This was an obvious misinterpretation of the film, which, according to the synopsis listed on its website, was about “a group of elites” who gather to hunt humans for sport, only to have the tables turned on them by one of the hunted, who goes on to pick them off one by one. Just from that, it was pretty clear that the strangers kidnapped and hunted – and not the “elites” – were the protagonists.

<snip>

Ahead of its announcement of the new release date, Universal Pictures screened the film for reporters and critics. Forbes senior contributor Scott Mendelson called The Hunt a “harmless exploitation action-comedy.” Even Ben Shapiro, whose own site The Daily Wire published multiple articles about the film around the time of the original controversy, pointed out how misguided that early criticism seemed to be.

<snip>

Breitbart ran a series of pieces about the film leading up to and after its original cancellation. The site targeted Louisiana’s Democratic governor for extending tax credits to Universal Pictures to film The Hunt in the state, and later quoted his political opponent calling him a “sicko” over the movie. This is a common thing that states do, but Breitbart attempted to suggest that Gov. John Bel Edwards was somehow signaling approval for the film’s message. In another article, Breitbart referred to The Hunt producer Jason Blum as “a notorious Trump-hater.”

Now that The Hunt will finally see the light of day, Breitbart has declared the news a “free speech victory,” completely rewriting the role it played in helping to get it canceled in the first place.

Now that The Hunt is being released, the right-wing freakout over the film...

It’s almost like facts and reason aren’t important to some of these commentators.

[Bryan_Ekers]

Now I’m thinking it would be kinda brave and expectation-subverting if the ones being hunted were in fact the bad guys - make them Klan members or violent MRAs or overly-whiny incels or abortion-clinic bombers. Ordinary working-class white folks… meh.

[Banquet_Bear]

@Banquet_Bear

…counterpoint: I had zero interest in this movie at all until I found out it was written by Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse (who was part of the Leftovers writing room) and directed by Craig Zobel (who directed the incredible “International Assassin” episode of the Leftovers) and now I’m utterly convinced that this movie will be a complete and utter mind-fuck that will defy expectations and has been elevated to my “must-see” list.

…well I saw it, and in my most humblest opinions, I wasn’t wrong I loved the film. Not propaganda, not even really social commentary. Just an absolute blast. None of the pre-release speculation got it right. This is just Lindelof and co having a bit of fun, and after the emotional weight of the Leftovers and the Watchmen, who can blame them? Don’t spoil yourself, just watch it. (CW lots of violence and blood)

[Grrr]

@Banquet_Bear

…well I saw it, and in my most humblest opinions, I wasn’t wrong I loved the film. Not propaganda, not even really social commentary. Just an absolute blast. None of the pre-release speculation got it right. This is just Lindelof and co having a bit of fun, and after the emotional weight of the Leftovers and the Watchmen, who can blame them? Don’t spoil yourself, just watch it. (CW lots of violence and blood)

I saw it too. I fucking loved it. Laughed my ass off. And I’d say it does a pretty good job of making fun of both Liberals AND conservatives. Neither side looked good in this movie.

[Banquet_Bear]

@Grrr

Neither side looked good in this movie.

…indeed. In fact the protagonist

is essentially politically neutral, we don’t really find out what her political affiliations were from memory. And she only got dragged into the story because of a mistaken identity, which was hilarious.

[Elmer_J.Fudd]

I just watched this on Amazon Prime. It’s hilariously dark and pokes fun at both extremes of the political spectrum.

[Smid]

I watched it a few weeks ago. I came in clear eyed but aware it was the liberal end hunting the right wing end.

Ultimately I reckon the marketing trolled out and outraged far more than movie represented. It satirized both sides, actually less so on the “deplorable” side because they were clearly the victims. The ol’ switcheroo on the liberal end, them being rich and as hypocritical as you can get. Amusing moments were mainly that. Hunters sort of incompetent too, like you’d expect. Victims were more internet trolls with the extreme right viewpoint.

The lead (not Hilary Swank) being compared to Invanka here strange, while not top class star, Betty Gilpin started in Netflix GLOW, alongside Alison Brie, did a great turn as the horrible doctor in Nurse Jackie for seven seasons, as well as roles in Stuber, American Gods and Isn’t it Romantic, so she’s hardly an unknown.

[Elmer_J.Fudd]

@Smid

The lead (not Hilary Swank) being compared to Invanka here strange

There is an Ivanka-type in the film played by Emma Roberts.

[Smid]

@Elmer_J.Fudd

There is an Ivanka-type in the film played by Emma Roberts.

Ah that explains it, I sat more thinking “what was she in” and it was “We’re the millers”