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Great Film overall

Captivating movie !

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The story here is kicked off by reports of illegal slaughter of reindeer. Local police turn a blind eye to the culprits, so a Stockholm detective, who was originally from the area, returns home and investigates. Things get complicated when he discovers his younger brother is involved but worse than that, the poaching has escalated into murder.I had seen the sequel to this Swedish thriller recently, a film called False Trail which was made fifteen years after the first part. I am guessing that The Hunters is a fairly influential film, as it comes very early in the cycle of Nordic Noir movies which have become very popular over the course of the last decade or so. Like others in this bracket, this one derives a fair bit of its interest from its local flavour, in this case the chilly expanses of Lapland. Like False Trail, this one also presents a mystery which is resolved for the audience quite early on, leaving the tension to come from knowing who is dangerous and wondering how the central detective will resolve the case. For me personally, I would have preferred a mystery over the combination of thriller with family drama which both films essentially boil down to a large degree, with the detective character put in a compromised position where he has to weigh up his family loyalty over his wider role to society as a policeman, with the added complication of small town suspicion of city people ever present. I think both films are broadly similar in terms of quality, with neither being especially excellent. I thought they were more an example of a solid, if unremarkable, detective stories combined with family drama with a northern Swedish backdrop. Nothing wrong with any of that of course but I would say these are good films as opposed to the best Nordic Noir has to offer.

The movie makes brilliant use of one the screenplays cliché:the man who left the small town to become a cop (with a not-so-brilliant career)and comes back to find a brother ,apparently happy to meet him again and a secret (there's a bit of melodrama thrown in a solid thriller for good measure). Leif,the kid brother has a warm manner at first ;you should see him go through his mail ,cause he is looking for a wife :but he then appears rather smug and despising:" they are impressed when they learn I'm part of the Church choir".And as the plot thickens ,his behavior becomes more and more suspect and we finally see him as he is really like :an unscrupulous coward ,who is the principal responsible for a gang rape ,and the death of poor Owe , surrounded by a bunch of hateful poachers .The poacher is rarely an important character in a movie ;in this one,they look more like paramilitaries,it's not even sure some of them realize that hunting might be murder (one of them tries to give himself up:but he won't because he would not be virile) There are enough scenes to satisfy a thriller buff :the place where the poachers hide their big game,and Erik spying on them ;the car in the lake ,which will remind you of "psycho" ;the Russian woman trying to escape;Owe ,going "hunting" with the big boys :this latter scene and many more show an unusual sense of space :the filming on location is impressive .I'm looking forward to watching the sequel to "Jagarna" .

I wanted to love this movie. It initially had everything - from perfect pacing to an assortment of eccentric characters. Cinematically, it's crisp and beautiful, and I enjoyed the opportunity to see some nice Swedish countryside. I like that the protagonist is a regular, plump cop, not some uber-beefed-up Hollywood superstar. The plot itself is reminiscent of such classics as "Straw Dogs" and "Deliverance," yet much more down to earth with a great deal of character development especially between the protagonist and his country-bumpkin brother.However, the last half of the film, especially the ending, left me frustrated. I literally booed at the end because of an unsatisfactory resolution. What could have been the best revenge flick of the '90s slowly becomes a dull, lifeless disappointment. Just when you think the protagonist is about to get down with the bad guys, poof. Nothing. I understand the director's intent. He wanted to make a statement. It just didn't work for me.

I dont know how many times i have seen this movie. Its so great. Its about a small society where everyone know each other and protect each other (in this case not a good thing). Its also about a will to do the right thing even if it will make you a loner and enemy to nearly everyone you know. And all this in a beautiful north of Sweden. This movie can be seen as a modern nordic Western movie.And eventhough someone wouldnt like the movie you can always listen to the beautiful movietheme who sets the sence of melancholy right from the start.