ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The Hunter (2012)

Updated on May 30, 2012
Willem DaFoe as the hunter
Willem DaFoe as the hunter

It came as something of a surprise that Australia has an actual forest, but it does. And the film "The Hunter," takes full advantage of the lush scenery. The film is an Australian production. At last check, NetFlix wasn't carrying it, but I located this worthwhile movie on Amazon for a kind of pricey download -- which is what I did.

Brief synopsis: Willem DaFoe is hired by the "Red Leaf" corporation to track down the probable last remaining Tasmanian tiger on the planet, as the corporation believes it can develop new bio-weapons based on the animal's unique DNA.

DaFoe takes the job but nothing goes smoothly. His accommodations are with a small, but intrusive family. He looks for lodgings elsewhere but can't find any. The family consists of a mother with two children -- a young boy and girl. The mother appears to be negligent in her duties, due to a dependency on pharmaceutical prescriptions (i.e., she is passed out through nearly half the film). Reluctantly DaFoe steps in to do the essentials. He bathes the wife and keeps the kids fed. All of this is mere distraction from his primary mission. But, not entirely. Each effort he makes in helping them brings him closer emotionally. He makes periodic trips into the highlands, finally coming across a cave that is a likely den for the Tasmanian tiger. But there is no mistaking the fact that someone else is on the same hunt -- someone that is spoiling DaFoe's traps and leaving behind other calling cards. One primary suspect is the father of the abandoned family -- since his son uses stationery with the Red Leaf corporation logo on the reverse side. The locals, including Sam Neil, figure that the missing husband had an accident while hunting and is probably dead.

Frances O'Connor
Frances O'Connor
Other locals are not keen about the presence of DaFoe, looking upon him as an outsider and disruptive element. He tries to pass himself off as a mere scientist, but the jolly band of disbelievers add another level of misery to his list. DaFoe returns periodically from his hunting excursions, and finds himself becoming more attached to the lonely family. The family also seems to reignite his more human side. One of my favorite scenes is when DaFoe, using his iPod and couple of old speakers (which he hangs from a tree outside) creates this wonderful burst of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" into the open air. It's a great moment because the movie tends to be fairly dark and unnerving.

Willem Dafoe and Sam Neil
Willem Dafoe and Sam Neil
Without providing some real spoilers, all I can say is that DaFoe is correct that someone is not only hunting the Tasmanian tiger but himself as well. The family into which he had slowly ingratiated himself does not end up doing so well. And, yes, he finally meets up with the elusive Tasmanian tiger but the confrontation does not go as one may suspect. Despite its hard-ass over-tone, "The Hunter" goes well beyond that, making it a heartfelt drama most people should enjoy. This is no Rambo-type movie -- far from it. Willem DaFoe was not cast in the lead role for his good looks and charm, but for his range of acting ability, and the casting crew definitely made a very good choice.

Willem DaFoe in "The Hunter"
Willem DaFoe in "The Hunter"

Movie Trailer

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)