The Hunter (2011)

Directed by: Daniel Nettheim 

Based on a Novel by: Julia Leigh

Original Adaptation by: Wain Fimeri

Screenplay by: Alice Addison

Players: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O' Connor

Setup: A secret military organization sends a solitary hunter (Willem Dafoe) to obtain the last known Tasmanian Tiger and its DNA.  

FYI - he's being sent to Tasmania, as implied by the eponymous Tiger.  If this does not make sense, please hesitate to contact me.   

Review: The artwork was what first intrigued me about this flick.  Blue and natural evoking a cold and dark journey for our leads, I expected something slow moving and mainly featuring Willem Dafoe lost in thought about the animal he is hunting, along with the animal he is becoming.  Ok, so I may be a little overzealous here, but regardless, the saying about not judging a film in Netflix by it picture should remain relevant here, as this was mostly a different (but still enjoyable) film.   

Willem Dafoe plays Martin David, who besides appreciating time alone with classical music and a rifle, we know very little about.  His character starts to grow once we see his mission begin and his subsequent derailment occur.  He seems dedicated and serious enough to endure his task of finding this last animal of an entire species, but his accomodations provided by a local family of a boy, girl, and recently widowed mother (Frances O' Connor) leads him to a place where his mission is no longer the most important part of his life.  However, as he becomes more and more involved with this family, the two are also found to be intertwined. 

Jurassic Park 4 my ASS!

You really can't go wrong with Willem Dafoe starring, but when mixed with Sam Neill the odds of favorability are increased exponentially.  The acting here is pretty fantastic, and while Neill's role wasn't as fleshed out as I had hoped, he provided some solid supporting work.  Visuals help their presentation stand out with beautiful vistas and subsequent verisimilitude at play, along with a wonderfully moving and sumptuous score by Matteo Zingales, Andrew Lancaster, and Michael Lira (all new to my ears, and worth watching out for in the future). Overall, Director Daniel Nettheim appears to have a strong grasp on all technical aspects, in specific scenes evoking fellow Aussie Director Peter Weir's brilliant sensibilities regarding a believable, beautiful, yet artisic natural environment (one scene with classical music in an forrest setting comes to mind). 

There is room to fall short however, especially in the editing.  While it flowed fairly smoothly, there were a few odd plot points that occurred seemingly without much thought, and therefore without much effective emotion. Also while I discovered the source novel is well praised, some story aspects presented here seem to present unbelievable character decisions, along with all to apparent lines for the creator's view of right and wrong.  

Nevertheless, The Hunter delivers a wonderful atmosphere and environment to enjoy, with much more happiness and positive notions regarding life than I thought would occur.  Color me happily surprised.  

Tidbit:  The featured animal of the film (Tasmanian Tiger) is in fact extinct, though the archival footage seen in the film is real. 

Drink of Choice:  Just because I've never seen a movie set in Tasmania (beautiful if this film is a true representation) I was going to cop out and go with a drink call "The Tasmanian Devil".  But as this movie deserves better, we'll go with... a WINE!  As you are an avid reader of this site (um, we have avid readers?), you'll know I haven't yet had a drink of choice consisting just of a beer or other less-than-15%-alcohol beverage (I likes the good stuff).  However it is time, and appropriate, for this film:

Albacore Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Hailing from Australia as well, this deliciously dark beauty represents the lush setting of the film mixed with the less animalistic tastes of the main character (his appreciation of classical music).  Bold yet fantastic, I'll drink any Cab-Sav, but I'd especially drink this one.