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Hunting Party (The)
R1 - America - Genius Products Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (26th January 2008). |
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The Film
 Have you ever wondered where inspiration comes from when movies are being made? Many people would say books. There have certainly been a great many films made based on the works of great authors such as Stephen King, Tom Clancy, James Patterson, just to name a few...But how many movies are made based on magazine articles? Probably not that many. At least, I don't know of any other articles that have been turned into TV shows or feature films. "The Hunting Party" (2007) was made based on an article written for 'Esquire' magazine. The movie itself is fiction based on facts, but much of what happened was true. "The Hunting Party" (1:40:48) stars Richard Gere and Terrence Howard. Simon Hunt (Gere) and Duck (Howard) are vacationing journalists (at least that's what they're saying) who try to track down a missing war criminal, The Fox (Ljubormir Kerekes), for a $5 million reward in one of Eastern Europe's deadliest regions. They end up taking Benjamin (Jesse Eisenberg), an eager young journalist with them. What begins as an impulsive reporting adventure immediately turns dangerous, as hostile locals, shady underworld figures and a case of mistaken identity put them squarely in their target's crosshairs. Amid the bullets and bombs, they discover that getting the scoop is one thing : getting out alive is something else entirely. One of the things I liked about the film was the chemistry between Duck and Benjamin. They both seem to be on the same level when it comes to their levelheadedness. They both seem to approach each situation with caution. It's up to the both of them to try and keep the sanity when Hunt goes off the deep end. While Benjamin is young and eager, he seems to keep an open mind when Duck has advice to give him. While Benjamin is a supporting role, I think it's Duck who really carries the film. While I've only seen Terrence Howard in "Four Brothers" (2005), I think he knows how to act out his parts and act them out well. He kept my attention throughout the course of the film. In the last act, I liked how Duck helped inspire the group to break away from being taken home, because they knew that having found The Fox, they couldn't just let him be. Again, that's Howard's performance that helps keep the film going. I also have to give credit to Eisenberg when it comes to his acting. I think between him and Eisenberg, they could have probably carried the film themselves without Richard Gere. And when it comes to Gere's character they show the flashbacks of what it was that made Hunt the unstable human being that he is. Also, I thought the story seemed to move along slowly, but the last act promises the payoff which is worth waiting for. I won't give it away here, but it shows what courage and determination are able to do to three men who believe in doing the right thing. The downsides? I don't know what it is about Richard Gere, but in what few movies I've seen him in, he has never sold me on his roles any of them. "Pretty Woman" (1990) was supposed to be this big hit movie that everybody was talking about. When I finally saw it, I didn't think it was all that much to brag about. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the film and I thought Julia Roberts did quite well, but I thought Gere made the movie drag out. Years later, I took a chance on two DVD's that I picked up, because they attracted my curiosity. And they both just happened to be movies starring Gere. "Dr. T and the Women" (2000) and "The Mothman Prophecies" (2002) both showed promise when I saw the trailers for them. But upon watching the films, they both seemed to drag on as well. It seemed to me that it was the women in "Dr. T" that were the redeeming features of that particular film. When it came to "The Mothman Prophecies", it was just plain bad, and Gere being the star didn't help make it any better. I ended up getting rid of both DVD's shortly after watching them. I also happened to see "Unfaithful" (2002) and "Chicago" (2002). While "Unfaithful" was probably the best out of the Gere lot that I've seen, he just didn't sell me on being the cuckold husband. Even when he went psycho on his wife's lover, it was like he didn't really put any of himself into it. He just seemed more or less mechanical in his performance. When it comes to "The Hunting Party" he didn't sell me on his role here, either. Personally, I think it's either his style of acting, or he just can't act convincingly : period. If Alec Baldwin or even Dustin Hoffman would have been cast as Simon Hunt, I think they could have played the part a whole heck of a lot better. Also, the story seems to be slow-paced. This could probably be due to the lack of multiple action shots. But then, the three men are not in the middle of war itself, just in the middle of a war-torn country looking for a war criminal.
Video
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen format (2.35:1 ratio). There are no noticeable defects present. You can even see the creases in Howard's face. I noticed at times that there is some blurring in the background when the cameras are close-up on a particular character. I don't know if this is intentional, but I believe it throws off the tempo of the story. Other than that, the picture looks great.
Audio
The film features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles available for the film. The dialogue is crystal clear and understandable. The soundtrack music plays quietly in the background and only seems to get louder when it's a critical moment in the film. Most of the background noise is present without having to turn up the volume level. In one scene, I could hear the wind blowing quietly when Hunt was being questioned by his own people on the helicopter. Sometimes, background noise can help make the experience seem more real. The 5.1 track delivers the goods in that regard.
Extras
Genius Products has included a feature length audio commentary, 6 deleted scenes, 2 featurettes, an article, and some theatrical trailers round out the extras on this release. With the exception of the preview trailers before the Main Menu and the feature commentary track, all extra features have optional English subtitles (unless noted otherwise). There is a feature length audio commentary track by writer/director Richard Shepard. Here, Shepard seems to remain scene specific. With each scene that plays out, he goes into detail about it. It's one of those tracks where you do not get repeat information in the featurettes. He goes into some of the things he would have liked to have done for some of the scenes, but couldn't due to the budget. In all, I think Shepard had a great time talking about the film. It's definitely worth listening to. There are 6 deleted scenes with optional audio commentary track by writer/director Richard Shepard, who explains in detail why these scenes were cut. They can be played individually or all together. Here are the scenes themselves (no subtitles for the commentary track on the scenes): - "Duck and Simon On the Way Home" runs for 19 seconds, Simon sleeping in Duck's shoulder on the plane ride home. - "How Duck Got His Nickname" runs for 1 minute, Benjamin learns how Duck got his nickname. - "Poverty and Ghosts" runs for 31 seconds, Simon explains to Benjamin why there is no tourism in Sarajevo. - "1-800-CONSPIRACY" runs for 1 minute 38 seconds, Duck explains to Simon why the number on the poster they carry can't be used. - "I Borrowed This Car" runs for 1 minute, Simon explains to Benjamin how he got the car they are driving. - "The Return of Sascha" runs for 57 seconds, this is actually an outtake of a scene, a practical joke played on Gere. The first of the two featurettes is called "Making The Hunting Party" and runs 9 minutes and 20 seconds. Here, Richard Shepard talks about where he got the idea for making this movie. He also praises the three main actors for their chemistry at being able to work well together. There are also comments from members of the cast. The best part is learning that the movie was actually filmed in Sarajevo and other surrounding areas. The second of the two featurettes is called "The Real Hunting Party" which runs 29 minutes and 41 seconds. Here, Richard Shepard interviews the journalists (John Falk and Scott Anderson) featured in the original 'Esquire' magazine article that the film was based on, which is also a featured extra on this release. The journalists do most of the talking and seem to have good time talking to Shepard about their first hand experiences, all while each enjoying a glass of beer. There is also a text article. "What I did on my Summer Vacation" is the original 'Esquire' magazine article by Anderson. Here you can read the entire article (63 pages) which is true to life. This is the very article that the film was based on. Also on this disc is the original theatrical trailer for the film itself which runs for 2 minutes 33 seconds. Rounding out the extras are a series of bonus trailers that play before the Main Menu only (not subtitled): - "Thetruth.com" anti-tobacco ad which runs for 1 minute 3 seconds. - "Cassandra's Dream" which runs for 2 minutes 18 seconds. - "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" which runs for 2 minutes 15 seconds. - "Days of Glory" which runs for 1 minute 57 seconds. - "The Matador" which runs for 2 minutes 33 seconds.
Overall
My final verdict here would be that if you really do want to see this move then consider renting it first. I know if I would have gone out and bought this DVD outright, I would have been quite disappointed, at least where Gere is concerned.
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