The Hunt (2020)

The makers of The Hunt most feel prophetic. The pre-release uproar over it could serve as a companion piece. Some of the conservatives who prejudged this one might have a hard time swallowing the message of this film as its theme mirrors such ignorance (truly a lack of knowledge; it isn't a jab) among conservatives and liberals alike. Which is a shame bc they probably would have enjoyed seeing the jabs themselves and liberals. The latter group gets the brunt of the caricatures and satire, but it's pretty evenhanded.

As for the film itself, well, it's a mixed bag. The script and its star are the real highlights here. I won't mention the latter anymore bc part of the fun is not knowing who the protagonist is. The only major problem of the film is the directing. It almost feels like two different movies. The first half is clumsy and rarely hits any of the marks it is going for. Thankfully, the script and some of the actors can get us through this part. Then halfway through something magical happens. We get a scene that is just three actors sitting in chairs talking. And all of sudden the film seems to know what it is. A coherent tone and visual style shine through to the end. And to top it off we are treated to one of the best female on female fights since Kill Bill.

All it all, it's good fun that takes swipes as where we are as a society. And it's much better than all the low scores from the conservative hit squad.