Film: The Hunter

Director: Daniel Nettheim
Genre: Drama
Source: USA (2011)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Netflix Instant Streaming
Grade: B

Somehow Netflix recommended this to me as an action movie, so I turned it on while I was at the gym, looking for something to get the adrenaline going. 

This is not an action movie. 

That said, it turned out to be a pretty engaging drama following a hunter on the trail of a Tasmanian tiger as he gets wrapped up in the drama and life of the family he is boarding with.

Defoe is excellent, as usual, as is the supporting cast. Morgana Davies in particular is adorably precocious as Sass. I hope she has a bright future, because she held her own with Dafoe. The bohemian lifestyle of the boarding house family contrasts nicely with Dafoe's careful and meticulous hunter. Though some of the subplots aren't developed as well as they could be (the loggers versus environmentalists storyline is pretty rote), the characterization makes up for it.

And the film is really beautifully shot. I'm assuming this really was shot in Tasmania, and it provides a beautiful background against which the drama can play out. It's violent and dangerous country, but it's also beautiful. There are so many shots of Dafoe walking through the forest, looking out over breathtaking vistas, and the filmmakers have the good sense to allow the scenery to speak for itself, allowing for a fairly quiet film as well.

In all, a solid find--solid enough that instead of waiting for my next workout to finish the film, I came home and finished it the same day. Not bad. 

Alternate Film Title: "Extinct Animals Make Me Sad"