Review: ‘The Hunting Party’ on DVD

‘The Hunting Party’ was co-written and directed by Richard Shepard whose last feature film was ‘The Matador’ (2005), which gained him some notoriety for his style. While that film did receive some critical acclaim, ‘The Hunting Party’ I believe is a bigger step up for Shepard. His writing and directing in this film has definitely benefited from a stronger pace and tempo and a refined sense of his own stylistic approach to the material. The story is based on an Esquire magazine article, written by Scott K. Anderson, which I suppose makes this movie sort of loosely based on true events, and about actual people… most of which are pointed out at the end of the film during the end credits.

Richard Gere plays Simon Hunt, a journalist and war correspondent whose the best at what he does, if not also the craziest SOB out in the field for the very same reasons. Terrence Howard plays Duck, who camera man and partner in the field. Together, these two men were a journalistic force like no other, until one day they arrive in a small Bosnian town and witness the most horrifying massacre of their careers, causing Simon to finally snap and lose his cool on live national news. As a result, Simon is canned and Duck ends up with a promotion into a cushy well-paid job back in the States. Five years later, Duck arrives back in post-war Bosnia to shoot an anniversary piece with big-time newscaster Franklin Harris (a nearly unrecognizable Josh Brolin). While there, Duck finds himself face to face with Simon once more, despite some wild rumors about Simon’s hard times and crazy efforts to report on various wars throughout the world, a la solo.

Simon slowly convinces Duck that he has the ultimate story, but he needs Duck to pull it off. Simon wants to find “The Fox”, the most wanted war criminal in Bosnia, and interview him as the biggest story in years, hoping to regain his credibility. During Simon’s courtship of Duck, the rookie reporter accompanying Duck gets wind of something big going down and the three of them begin to piece together the whereabouts of “The Fox” as they encounter various characters, including uncooperative UN officials, black marketers and thugs protecting “The Fox”. ‘The Hunting Party’ is an engaging film that tells an important story but also twists it slightly into something of a farce. Much like the subtlety exaggerated perspective used in ‘The Matador’, this film also carries with it a very subtle sense of humor, in a way mocking the whole situation as it offers commentary on the political undercurrents of the ordeal.

Both Gere and Howard are excellent in ‘The Hunting Party’ and work well together as this unstoppable journalistic team. The story is one that could have easily been made as a full-fledged dramatic piece, chronicling the horrors and the controversial aftermath in a fully serious tone, but the film succeeds as something more having been interpreted in a less predictable and traditional manner. While the added point of view written and directed into the story compromises some of its truthfulness factor, it benefits in return by becoming a more enjoyable and in some ways a more impacting movie on a subject that has been forgotten by some. Do Simon and Duck ever catch “The Fox”… Does Simon really know where “The Fox” is hiding or is he just desperately grasping for something, anything to regain his former life? What are Simon’s true motives? These are all questions that arise while watching this film and are what make it an intriguing film worth seeing.

[rating:4/5]

Check out our Original Theatrical Review of ‘The Hunting Party’ [rating: 4.5/5] here.