A black comedy film that dissects the inherent evils of the class system by using the analogy of hunting humanity in the crudest and rawest form.
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This bitterly dark and potent satire takes after its model George Orwell's Animal Farm with an added pinch of THE PURGE. It produces a black comedy that dissects not just the inherent evils of the class system of America but also of the admittedly exaggerated outcome of unchecked wealth in conflict with the powerless, but discontented, poor.
THE HUNT starts with its characters waking up gagged in what appears to be the garden of an exclusive country house, a group of people, coming from different corners of the United States, find a box containing the keys to remove their muzzles, various firearms, and a small pig that serves as an allusion to Animal Farm. Suddenly, the place turns into a bloody battlefield, filled with cunning death traps, where no one will be safe. Those who manage to escape from the incessant rain of bullets and arrows discover that they are participants in a vile and disturbing game that they had heard through their social networks. Crystal (Betty Gilpin), one of the victims of this ruthless hobby, uses her military knowledge to decipher the strategy of her enemies.
It is not the first time that the famous production house Blumhouse has taken advantage of the enormous social fragmentation that exists in the United States as the central discourse of its low-budget horror works. The Purge and Get Out are two clear examples of this.
As a film, it goes even further, toying with the audience's sympathies as a cadre of the super-wealthy, led by Hilary Swank, hunt a group of so-called deplorable for sport.
Both Betty Gilpin and Hilary Swank do a terrific job within a cast that also includes stars such as Emma Roberts and Ike Barinholtz. It is a story that, although it uses stereotypes and generalisations to present its discourse, it never tips the balance towards either side. It is, more than anything, an x-ray of the current state, of the lack of empathy and compassion that we see in both the real and virtual worlds, prompted by the divisive rhetoric of authority and power figures.
By the end of THE HUNT, one's laughter has become just a little self-conscious, and the sense of healthy detachment has been punctured as neatly as Swank's designer stiletto-heel has done the same to a deplorable's eyeball.
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