The controversial film was called ‘the most talked about movie of the year… that no one’s actually seen’.
Our TV movie pick for tonight (Thursday, 17 April) is The Hunt, the overlooked action thriller gem from 2020.
The film sees 12 working-class strangers wake up in a remote clearing with no idea where they are or how they got there.
It turns out they have been kidnapped by ruthless elites (the leader of which is played by two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby) who have gathered to hunt the 12 for sport.
One of those kidnapped – an army veteran named Crystal (Betty Gilpin, Glow) – decides to fight back, however.
Co-written by Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) and directed by Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown, The Penguin), the release of The Hunt was overshadowed both by Covid-19 and the movie becoming embroiled in a controversy involving US President Donald Trump.
Though the politician didn’t name the movie, he appeared to accuse it in a Tweet ahead of its release of being made “in order to inflame and cause chaos”. You can read more about this right here.
The Trump controversy led to the film dubbing itself in its marketing “the most talked about movie of the year no one’s actually seen”.
The Hunt also had its release delayed as a result of the Dayton and El Paso mass shootings in 2019.
Though these events dominated the initial discussion around Lindelof and Zobel’s film, we’d argue that the pair made a solid, mean-and-lean horror action thriller with a ferocious lead turn by Gilpin.
Also, The Hunt’s strong dose of satirical black comedy and its great supporting cast make it well worth seeking out.
The latter includes Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl), Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Ike Barinholtz (The Studio) and Macon Blair (Oppenheimer).
The Hunt is airing on TV tonight on Film4 at 10.50pm. It’s also currently streaming on Netflix.
Here are the other movies on TV tonight:
Nobody – Film4 – 9pm
From the producers of John Wick, Bob Odenkirk makes for a surprisingly great action man in this very entertaining flick.
GoldenEye – ITV4 – 9pm
The first 007 movie to star Pierce Brosnan, GoldenEye is often cited as the actor’s best Bond film.
Limitless – Legend – 9pm
Bradley Cooper takes a pill that makes him super smart in this fun sci-fi thriller.
50 First Dates – Comedy Central – 9pm
A hit rom-com in which Adam Sandler falls in love with Drew Barrymore, who plays a woman who suffers from short-term memory loss.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Sky Arts – 9pm
The brilliant ’50s adaptation of Jack Finney’s classic sci-fi horror story The Body Snatchers.
Year of the Gun – Legend Xtra – 9pm
From the director of The Manchurian Candidate and Ronin, this thriller follows an American journalist (Andrew McCarthy) in Italy during the 1970s, a time of political and social turmoil for the country known as “the years of lead”.
Fiddler on the Roof – BBC Four – 9.30pm
Widely considered to be among the greatest musical films of all time.
Death Line – Legend Xtra – 11.15pm
In this well-liked ’70s British horror, a police inspector (Donald Pleasence) investigates a series of disappearances around the London Underground.
The Client – ITV4 – 11.30pm
Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones star in this ’90s legal thriller adapted from a John Grisham book.
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