Death Hunt

1981 "Savage pursuit in the wilderness!"
6.9| 1h37m| R| en| More Info
Released: 22 May 1981 Released
Producted By: Orange Sky Golden Harvest
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Yukon Territory, Canada, November 1931. Albert Johnson, a trapper who lives alone in the mountains, buys a dog almost dead after a brutal dogfight, a good deed that will put him in trouble.

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Reviews

NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!
SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
LeonLouisRicci Outstanding Latter-Day Film for Both Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson. It Seems Like a Fitting Swan Song of the 1970's with its Macho Tone and Gritty Characters. While the Two Iconic Men's Men Only Share One Scene Together, Both are Forever Present in the Film's Mind.Marvin Plays a Hard Drinking Mountie Cynic that Senses a New Age of Technology and He is Uncomfortable, He Also has had Just About Enough of the Dim Witted Brutes that Surround the Harsh Environment of the Yukon.The Said Yukon is the Setting for this Man Hunt as Marvin is Forced by Suspected Information About a Killing. Charles Bronson is the Alleged Killer (based on a real-life Mad Trapper) that Proves to be Quite an Adversary as He Defends Himself from the Mob Out to Not Bring Him In, but Kill Him in the Process.This is an Overlooked Film in Bronson's Career and Will Prove to be an Excellent Find for Both Charlie and Marvin Fans. Director Peter Hunt Includes All the Ingredients that Make for a Superior Action Film. Good Characters, Supreme Locations, Intelligent Script, and Gritty Violence. A Fine Film Befitting it's Waning Tough Guys and is Quite an Under Seen Treat.
SeanJoyce DEATH HUNT sounds like one of those movies that never happened, but you sit around salivating over the possibilities of seeing the two uber he-men of the movies pitted against each other in a bruising frozen north adventure saga. Lucky for us, DEATH HUNT happened alright, and what a treat it is. Made just years before Marvin's death and before Bronson went all bad-movie belligerent on us, this rugged wilderness saga is a glorious last hurrah for its two revered stars.Loosely (and I mean LOOSELY) inspired by an event that occurred in the early 30s, Albert Johnson (Charles Bronson) is a reclusive and unsociable mountain man who incites a group of men after rescuing one of their dogs from a primitive dog fight. This leads to a chain of events that culminates with Royal Canadian Police Sgt. Edgar Millen (Lee Marvin) leading a posse to Johnson's cabin with the hope of bringing him in peacefully. Things don't go as planned, and after an intense shoot-out which leaves Johnson unscathed and several of Millen's men dead, the latter has no choice but to pursue his quarry across the unforgiving terrain of the Yukon. Along the way, more men show up to "aid" Millen's effort and the whole episode becomes a media circus as a reward is promised for the apprehension of the resourceful fugitive.How can one not be sold by the above synopsis? Reading about it makes me want to drool. This is a MAN'S movie in every sense of the word. You're going to want to do nothing but tear through bleeding-red steaks and guzzle mugs of bitter beer after watching this one. It's an action-filled testosterone fest led by the two guys who practically invented the words "tough guy".Bronson and Marvin crossed paths several times in the course of their long careers, the most prominent collaboration of course being THE DIRTY DOZEN (billing is reversed here.) This was the only time we got to see them in an adversarial relationship, and boy is it sweet. One of the huge pleasures of DEATH HUNT is seeing the mutual respect develop between its protagonists. Johnson and Millen are two men "above it all"; they understand each other on a deeper plane than those around them. Millen curses the mobs of men who show up to collect money. Though he's reluctant to pursue Johnson because he knows he's truly innocent, bringing him in becomes a personal matter of honor for him. "Johnson deserves me" he growls at one point.Framing all of this is a "new vs. old" conceit. The hard-drinking, rough-living Millen is joined by a young, uptight constable (Andrew Stevens) who's a stickler for the rules. Millen scoffs at his reliance upon a ham radio, and is contemptuous of the flying ace brought in to assist the manhunt. Millen believes that Johnson is too great and worthy a foe to be done in by what he feels is a cheap mechanization of the encroaching future; he espouses the purity of old-fashioned methods.Bronson and Marvin are old pros at this game, and their established screen personas are ideally suited to the material. Carl Weathers is on hand as Marvin's best friend. He's like a Greek chorus, functioning as a buffer between the clash of ideals epitomized by Marvin and Stevens.Hearty plaudits must be dispensed to the scenery, which is one of the main reasons to watch this movie. Shot on location in Alberta, Canada, the film is a visual banquet. I've gained a huge respect for outdoors movies shot on location, and Death Hunt benefits magnificently from this. I often caught myself rewinding or pausing just so I could revel in its majestic scenery of snow-blanketed mountains and trees. The fact that Bronson and Marvin are braving the harsh elements at their advanced ages is even more to their credit.I would have preferred to spend a bit more time with Bronson after the chase commences. Marvin mentions that they're tailing a man who knows how to live off the land, but we e don't really get much of that aside from one shot of Bronson trying unsuccessfully to ice fish with his hands.At the end of the day, DEATH HUNT isn't a masterpiece and it surely doesn't break any new ground. However, that's what makes it so comforting; as a valentine to its grizzled stars and an era for "pure" action-adventure films unmolested by CGI, it's damn near perfect. Lean, masculine, and featuring some exciting set-pieces, DEATH HUNT emerges a frigid winner.
fedor8 This was one of the last movies that featured real men playing men. From the late 80s onwards, it was the likes of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt who took over. And now they're even trying to establish wimps like Leo Di Crapio and Matt Damon as tough action heroes. Laughable. Still, sheep all over the world have accepted them, proving that the dumbed-down masses will accept ANYTHING as long as the hype is intense and long enough.Marvin and Bronson were a remnant of the last generation of leading male actors who actually look like alpha males. Just picture Affleck as a tough Mountie, or Ryan Philippe as the tough trapper. However, the good casting isn't the only plus in DH. The scenery is rather nice, the action is okay. It's a straight-forward but pleasant enough movie.One weird thing, though: what the hell was that gay scene all about? The one in which the gang leader force-kisses Marvin's young apprentice. This isn't exactly a prison movie.
MARIO GAUCI This is one of Charles Bronson's more popular vehicles (though I've missed it more than I care to remember in the past!) – as much for his pairing with Lee Marvin as for the tough, snow-bound action of the plot.The film, in fact, is based on true events depicting a bloody manhunt which has gone down in history; ironically, its source seems to have been a trivial argument about possession of a wounded dog! While the location photography is pretty spectacular, the narrative tightly-paced and the action sequences undeniably well-handled (Peter Hunt being a veteran of James Bond movies as both editor and director), it's unfortunate that characterization – the posse grows in number once a bounty is offered for the capture of trapper Bronson – is mostly relegated to unpleasant stock types.Even if both stars (who only get to share one scene) were clearly ageing by this time, they bring conviction to their respective roles: Bronson demonstrates his characteristic quiet fortitude as the hunted man, while Marvin is the experienced and tenacious lawman on his trail (but whose cynicism gives way towards the end to reveal an essential humanism underneath). Angie Dickinson briefly supplies the redundant love interest to Marvin's character; this was the last of their three pairings – the other titles being the far superior THE KILLERS (1964) and POINT BLANK (1967).