Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

ari_levy not sure this movie deserves the criticism above. innocent Disney-like rendering of a real-life incredible tale. also not sure that the ending was meant to convey that trapper committed suicide--listen carefully, and you'll hear that they never found a trace of him the next spring....i was led to believe (at least the kid in me was!) that he camouflaged his once-again escape.i purchased this movie after googling it for the theme song, which has been running in my head for *31 years.* got the film and found the tune was correct!!!! wish in real life the trapper had also died free (i guess he did so, in a way, but at the end of a rifle)....

Steve Nyland (Squonkamatic) My friends, there is no other way to put it: The weirdest, most disturbing entertainments have always been those which are made with children in mind. Take CHALLENGE TO BE FREE, an admirable effort to tell the very worthy tale of The Mad Trapper of Rat River, but with lots of happy animal friends and a big, burly, friendly guy (Mike Mazurki, best known as the Igor character in that "Gilligan's Island" episode where the mad scientist starts switching the castaways' brains around) as "Trapper", who instead of a desperate criminal with seemingly no past has been transformed as a sort of Doctor Doolittle of the Klondike. He eats trans-fat rich breakfasts with an elk, has a moose for a hiking buddy, and pans gold as needed out of a nearby stream whenever he's hard up for a fresh carrot as a moose treat. I can see the appeal in the lifestyle.Nonetheless, this is easily the most violent, morally questionable and ethically dubious "family" movie I have ever seen, and that includes ARK II, LITTLE MONSTERS with Fred Savage, CAPTAIN KIRK'S ALIEN MYSTERIES and the granddaddy of disturbing family oriented movies, IN SEARCH OF NOAH'S ARK. The real trouble starts when "Trapper" blows away a couple of Mounties with his sawed off double barreled breech loading shotgun, a common stage prop for children's films. Later during the big manhunt chase scenes, the audience is treated to an image of strings of distressed looking sled dogs being winched up a sheer cliff face, and one of the poochies apparently slips loose of it's harness & falls to it's doom. My favorite bizarre moment from the film comes when "Trapper" finds himself unexpectedly dunked into an icy mountain stream in sub zero degree weather. But he's a plucky sort, pulls himself out of the drink, manages to start a fire while his clothes freeze to him, and by golly if we aren't gifted with a shot of him trying to thaw out his knickers over the fire, his pants frozen perfectly flat with the legs stuck out stiffly like in a cartoon. He holds them like Wile E. Coyote might after being dunked into an ACME Deep-Freeze Unit, stiff as a board.There are shootouts with real guns, cabins being dynamited, evil native Indian trappers who kidnap wolf pups for evil purposes, shirtless fat men warming their bodies by campfires, guys being menaced up close & personal by ax blades, and a big climax where the hero appears to commit suicide. Anyone who might subject their kids to this movie will end up with years of bills for psychotherapy, or young men who enjoy bending nails with their teeth. Either way it's a crapshoot, and the MPAA "G" rating for this film is proof indeed of how the times have changed since 1975. If this movie was made today it would probably be banned by PETA demonstrators before even making it to the ratings board. "Trapper" wrestles bears, plays mean looking tricks on beavers, insists on bunking with a lynx, and even manages to annoy a herd of caribou without being trampled to death. The suspension of disbelief needed to enjoy this movie probably doesn't exist anymore, even in kids.The one good thing the movie sort of has going for it is that the scriptwriters actually did pay some attention to the research work of Dick North, the world's foremost authority on "Albert Johnson", the Mad Trapper who eluded a Royal Canadian Mounted Police posse in the arctic wilds of Canada's Northwestern Territories for 52 days in conditions that would convert any normal person into human beef jerky in about 36 hours. And indeed when compared to the ultra violent 1981 version of the tale -- DEATH HUNT with Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin -- it actually does score a couple of extra bonus points for authenticity. Even if it does essentially re-create DEATH HUNT's most memorable scene of Charles Bronson popping up out of the smoking ruins of a dynamited cabin whilst pumping a sawed off shotgun at a pack of hicks. "Trapper" is just a little bit nicer about it.I understand the nostalgic appeal noted by some of the other comments posted about this film, and indeed back in the 1970s when it was made this probably would have been perfectly fine entertainment for families to enjoy together. We were all a little more bloodthirsty, callous and accepting of the implacable jaws of fate back then, as well as on screen smoking. And if anything there is some genuine comedy to be had watching this film with a contemporary sensibility whilst guffawing at the parts that the Liberals would just be horrified by. The film is also adventurously staged in realistic looking sub-arctic environments, with Mike Mazurki and the rest of the cast apparently struggling through some rather physically demanding stretches that no member of the actor's guild in their right mind would ever agree to.So there's definitely some material to be admired here, especially for those who have a twisted sense of humor and a willingness to be offended by movies that were thought to be inoffensive in the earlier cultural climates in which they were made. With a kid de-sensitized enough to violence by five years of the war on terror and a few beers for dad to swig down as responsibly as possible this is probably still a fine film for the whole family to enjoy together. Just make sure you explain to the li'l moppet that elks don't really eat pancakes, wild snow wolves don't really make good pets, that nobody in their right mind would actually have thought this was a good idea for a movie nowadays, and that they can go to sleep peacefully assured that the film is probably banned in Finland.6/10, and no, I'm not drunk.

Mad_Trapper This story has held a special place in my heart for the last thirty-one years. As a boy, I enjoyed stories of mountain men and the wilderness. Books like "Call of the Wild", "White Fang", "The Frontiersman" and "My Side Of the Mountain", influenced me tremendously. I wanted so much to live like a mountain man, but nothing inspired me more to do so, than when I saw this movie on television in 1975. I wanted to be just like "Trapper". However, as I got older I found I was just too domesticated to live like that. Nonetheless, I still romanticize about living that kind of life. I agree with some other reviews of this movie that the storyline has the simplicity that is quite prevalent in "Disneyisque" type movies, but if you can look past the mechanics in which it was made and see the heart of the story, the true themes, then I think you find yourself pleasantly touched. I make it a point to watch this movie once a year. After thirty-one years, I still get a chill running through me when I see torrent of snow rushing down the mountainside and hear the echoing, haunting laugh of the Trapper.-Good luck old-timer and stay free-PS If you want to read more about the true story, I found this link on the Mad Trapper of Rat River:http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/NWT/madtrapper.htm

Aglaope This is an excellent true story, one of the gems of mountain man folklore, set in 1930's Northern Canada. The story of Canada's most famous northern manhunt, the Mad Trapper of Rat River and his running gun battle with the R.C.M.P. in the winter of 1931-32.The Mad Trapper was thought to be named Albert Johnson, complaints were received about Johnson tampering with people's traps. When the Mounties were sent to investigate one was shot and wounded in an exchange of fire. They withdrew for help and later returned to the isolated cabin with a nine man posse and 20 pounds of dynamite. Meanwhile Johnston had reinforced the cabin and dug a pit under the floor. When the Mounties threw the dynamite at the cabin it blew the cabin apart, but when they went in expecting to find a dead or wounded Johnston he fought them off.The Mounties withdrew again, and later when they returned to the cabin they found it abandoned. After a long search of the area, they ran into Johnston again, but one of the Mounties was shot dead in the exchange and Johnston managed to slip away.The Mounties could not catch Johnston so they called in aerial surveillance. The plane picked up Johnstons trail and directed the Mounties to his location. The outcome of the ensuing gunfight was left a mystery, did he get away. Nobody knows.This Mike Mazurki version is a rather sterile version, of the story. Made in a style akin to an early Walt Disney movie. It's still a passable enough version of the mystery of the "Mad Trapper". Though maybe it dwells a bit much on the large animal cast.It definitely invites a remake. It was called Death Hunt (1981).