Watch The Hunt For Free

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Don't listen to the negative reviews

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Three men go hunting rabbits during a hot day. The heat and talking about events that happened in the past make them angry, until they go totally crazy.The film was shot in a valley that once witnessed a Civil War battle similar to the one described in the dialogue. The movie has since become a classic, and a landmark in Spanish cinema. While I think it is far fro ma perfect film, it makes a lot of sense that this would be an influential picture. As a society, Spain was probably still overcoming its past in the 1960s. This was one way to confront that.I am not familiar with any other film from the director, so far as I know... it might make sense to see this in a wider context.

This reminds me of that bleak Australian forgotten gem Wake in Fright where dusty sunbaked desolation brings out the worst animal instincts in a group of men, in this case five guys, old friends or acquaintances who haven't seen each other in years, who go out in the Spanish sierra to hunt rabbit. Whereas Wake in Fright at least on some level acquiesces to the idea that we're not perfect beings and revels in anarchy and amorality, Carlos Saura's film feels reactionary. Dialogue and characterization feels calculated to bring out the worst in the characters, they're fully unpleasant from the get go and staying out in the scorching midday heat under a makeshift tent makes them more irritable and frustrated. Their own deadend lives and petty concerns reflect their hunt - from a safe distance, picking off defenceless animals. This is something to pass the time, or worse, an excuse for not passing the time.I like how Saura films the arid landscape in unflattering shots. This is not the picturesque desert of Lawrence of Arabia. This is an inhospitable patch of dirt where nothing grows and Saura gives us flat shots of dusty hillsides. I also like the frantic hand-held shots, of rabbits running amok through the sparse undergrowth, of the hunters inspecting their rifles and jerking them to aim at the distance, and now someone is nervously wiping sweat off his forehead and musing unpleasant thoughts in voice-over, suspicion or aggression. But everything feels calculated here, and Saura's political commentary does not go amiss. The owner of the hacienda where they go to hunt has discovered the skeletal remains of someone from the "war" (it could be the Spanish civil war, although one of the companions snaps irritably "does it matter which war?") and keeps them hidden in a cave. This is a category, a finger raised in outraged accusation against the worst in us.

In this film Saura portrays the suffering of Spain after the civil war and during the dictatorship, this is shown through the use of the dry, arid land where the action is set which symbolises the economic ruin of Spain as well as the emotional state of his three main protagonists Luís, José and Paco. The only masterpiece in this film is the subtle use of symbolism, and lets face it Saura didn't have much choice but to use this device due to the censorship laid down by Franco. A masterpiece i think not. A film should be easy to understand and follow without having to look for the meaning so if u cant be bothered with that this is not the film for you. However further cases of symbolism within the film are:Rabbits= republicans Ferrets= nationalists/the peasant Juan mannequin= the worthlessness of women during the Franco era Enrique= hope, the new generation, not messed up by war, innocence science fiction book (read by Luis)=reality is too hard to bare the German gun= reminds of war as Spain and Germany were allies and the war is never mentioned by characters so Saura gets his point across this way the heat= the ruin of Spain the skeleton= the international brigade and people who died in the war money= the terrible state of the Spanish economy during the Franco era

Anyone who enjoyed Lord of the Flies or the Blair Witch Project should admire this chilling Spanish psychodrama, which is better than either. A few men are gathered for a day's rabbit hunting; it becomes apparent that they are well-to-do veterans of the Spanish Civil War. The place looks as desolate and barren as it is possible to imagine, and the heat is obviously intense. The men have memories of this godforsaken gulch, since it was a battlefield in the Civil War. As the day goes on, the scorching sun frays the men's nerves and sends them toward delirium, bringing out their inner weaknesses and their personal conflicts, normally concealed beneath a veneer of politeness. The end comes suddenly.There allusions to the apocalypse (Luis is a poetical spirit who likes quoting Revelations, as well as science fiction). The setting is reminiscent of Ezekiel's valley of dry bones; Saura is wise enough to draw this analogy visually, without openly stating it. These men have great burdens on their consciences, which they are loath to admit, and they will pay dearly. A younger man invited along points up the contrast; he wasn't involved in the Civil War, or shady business dealings, so he is naïve and open.One thing that makes this movie superior to the stuff we normally see is the lack of superfluous dialogue; there are long patches where subtle gestures or metaphorical images are allowed to speak for themselves. Even the music is restricted to a few muffled drumbeats or chimes, and these are used sparingly. This is a low-budget masterpiece which deserves comparison in style to The Isle (2000).My only criticism is that the beginning is a bit slow; but you'll certainly get into it if you sit through the first ten minutes.