The Hunted - Bad Rap Flick?

G

Greg Walker

Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
590
Was yakkin' with Mike Fuller at TOPs Knives the other day.

Mentioned I'd just watched "The Hunted" for the first time. Enjoyed brief chat with Mike on the film. And ordered one of his Trackers.

Watched the flick again.

Heard it didn't do so hot in the movie houses. Also heard the DVD is pretty good (I watched video version). Mike shared his orders for Trackers went through the roof when the DVD came out.

Personally, after putting a fire in the fireplace and sitting back on the old leather couch, I enjoyed the film. Pretty good entertainment and that's what I was looking for. Like Tommy Lee, too. And Portland, Oregon (even after Dirty Dick Marcinko got through with the city in "Violence of Action"). The knife work was good, crisp, and about as realistic movie wise as one could hope for.

Yep, there were some weak spots in the plot but nothing that distracted me too terribly.

I liked it and like the primary knife. Beck / TOPS, seems everyone has their druthers. Interesting piece, though.

Anyone carrying / using a Tracker (Beck/TOPS) in the field? How about the flick? Pros / Cons? Anyone know who did the fight scenes?

GW
 
oog. this film was already mocked pretty good in previous posts. I REALLY liked the knife-fighting, far more realistic techniques than one normally sees from Hollywood, but the plot in general was pretty lame. Exactly how long did they each spend out in the wilderness of Portland, forging/knapping blades to use against each other? :rolleyes:
 
If you can find a DVD copy, Tom and Rafael Kayanan run through the knife scenes (and why they were filmed that way), and a few Sayoc Kali drills in one of the extra chapters.

I liked the movie, for all its weak plot points, It still was mindless fun. I wish they would of spent a bit more time on character development.
 
Oscar winner? No. Entertaining? YES!!! To tell the truth I like the movie a lot. I am sure it could have been better with a lot more time and money thrown at it but it was still a very fun movie to watch. My only complaint is they really should have gone deeper into the theory about the "Hunters" being after Del toro not elk.
 
As rarely as I go to a movie, I sure don't go to intellectualize. I turn my imagination over to the film and let it take me along for the ride. I thought "The Hunted" was a good, fast-paced, busy, exciting story. Worth the money.
 
I rather liked the film and I was surprised that it got such a bad review from people here on the forums.

I forge all my blades and I suppose it is possible to make a primitive knives they way it was done in the flick...but getting the sufficient heat for forging might be tricky and when he quenched the spring in water it made me cringe...certainly it would work....but I could just hear it crack :eek:
 
well...the movie was for sure good entertainement, exciting but no more...
For the first, I don't know any knife instructor who will go into the woods after a criminal without bringing a knife, or at least a gun...
During the instruction of the movie, Tom Kier sugested to the instructor to use a Karambit in some fight scene, Tom Brown was furious about it and said " Tracker ONLY" (even if Del Toro use a next generation Ka-bar in the second part of the movie).

I think the idea of the movie is good, the caracters excellent and some great actors, but it's like it's "not finished" something is missing... But there is no doubt that Tom Brown used this movie to promove his Knife...
I have a tracker from TOPS, it's nice, very strong, the design is very interesting, but the tracker can't do more than any over good survival knife, I've used it in the field, it work fine, but my Battle Rat work at least as fine...
 
I don't have experience with either Tracker knife, though my Beck WSK should be in hand by April for some primitive camping :)

As for the movie, I liked it. If you're looking for high art, don't watch an action flick. If you're looking literature, don't watch an action flick.

The only bits that did bug me were Hallam (Del Toro) having his knife to cut open a train after leaving it in an FBI agents neck (?!) and the time lapse while making knives in the sticks, as already mentioned. If I just pulled myself out of an ice cold river in Oregon in the autumn, I wouldn't be thinking "I REALLY need to make a knife!" I'd hope that there is a day or so worth of survival stuff and tracking on the editing room floor that would have preceded the final duel.

As for the "hunters" or "sweepers" thing, I like that it's left up to the veiwer to decide. Just because Hallam is paranoid doesn't mean THEY're not out to get him :)

Tommy Lee Jones was excellent (as per usual) and Benecio had me convinced he was more than a bit stressed. Good action without the macho.

Diablero
 
I enjoyed the film very much and I love my Dave Beck Wilderness Survival Knife. A search here on the forums will yield dozens of pages of information regarding the WSK and the Tops Tracker.

-Jared
 
I personally thought it was a very good movie. Not a good instruction video, but a good movie. I enjoyed the acting as well as the fight choreography, some of the body language was very intense.

I bought the DVD after seeing it in the theater, and the commentaries in the bonus section were very interesting.

I think the idea of the movie is good, the caracters excellent and some great actors, but it's like it's "not finished" something is missing...
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, such is Hollywood. Consultants fighting directors, directors fighting actors, actors whining while the directors fight the producers, and deadlines cutting off any and all point of arguing. Movies are never complete, and never perfect. Buy some popcorn and they can be a good distraction though.:)

Oh, and to be honest, the cheesiest part to me was when Jones removed the trap from a wounded wolf. WOUNDED! Ok, I worked for a vet, and a frickin' toy poodle won't let you work on it when it's HEALTHY. A trapped and bleeding wolf will most likely need a loving hand and a tranq dart.
 
Hopefully Rafael or Tom will chime in here, I always like hearing from those guys. They give you such an interesting insight into the film.

-Jared
 
I think that there is more to the film than people are initially seeing.

I enjoyed it and will watch it again for the 3rd time soon.

As far as 'time lines' go in the film, you have to fill the gaps so to speak and to me, it was designed for the viewer to do exactly that - leave the imagination open - decide for yourself how long they went scrub and made their toys. I think that even the FBI were wearing different clothes between scenes too which suggested that there may have been a day or two in between.

For instance, we saw a few traps that Jones came across, but we did not see how they were made. But did you notice how his clothes seemed to get dirtier within what seemed like 5 movie minutes in the film? I noticed and assumed that he had been bush for a few days. I like the use of the Beck knife in the film.

I also read the story in blade. I was dissapointed with the article as it had incorrect notations to the pictures etc and played with tricky wording as it did not 'star' the TOPS version at all (that I could tell anyway). I guess fair comment would be that the information was sourced before known and deadlines had to be met etc.

Still, try and watch it again and look at the things inbetween! It made it more enjoyable for me.

My rants over! Shite me!:eek:
 
I liked the movie. It was more realistic than most. The thing with the Tracker knife was wierd though. I expected to see it used as a survival knive and as an emergency defense knife, not a purpose-designed fighter. The TOPS verson was probably not used since in the movie he made it himself and the TOPS knife is obviously a semi-custom. The character was supposed to be almost totally self-reliant so for the movie he needed to make his own knives rather than buy them.
 
I wouldn't call the TOPS Tracker a semi custom, just a production version of another custom design.

As far as Aron's various knives in the theatrical version of the film (the only one we have seen so far) there is the Dave Beck Tracker used in Kosavo and in the forest with the sweepers and Tommy Lee Jones. The character is supposed to have made this in a forge during training. Then when he gets back to his girlfriends house he picks up his 2 KaBar Next Gen fighters and a Dave Beck Kestrel. When he kills FBI agent Van Zandt I could not see wich knife was used. When he kills "Moret"? he throws the Kestrel and leaves it behind. Once he is out of the tunnels he now only hase one KaBar left on his belt and after coming out of the water he does not have it anymore. Maybe his duty type belt got caught on something in the river and was pulled off. He then forges the new Tracker type knife near the old dam.

I also think that there was a period of several hours between coming out of the water and the final show down.

And for unarmed trackers Tom Brown would be one of them.
 
Hey Guys..

Love4Steel...

I'd rather fasten a 2X6 to my forehead with a Hilti gun then watch that movie again...

All of Tommy Lee's movies are the same.. Fugitive, US Marshalls,, they are all the same ,,with almost the exact same plot line.. Talk about type casting.. I thought Charlie's Angles was a better movie..LOL At least there were B@@b's.. LOL:)

The action was pretty good though...

ttyle

Eric....
 
My favorite part was when Benicio (apparently) forged the micarta grips to go on his replacement tracker. ;)

I admit I don't go to action movies for intellectual stimulation, but this one was worse than most. Shame, given the realism of a lot of the knife stuff.
 
Well, Im new here but I did Really enjoy The Hunted, My favorite part(s) Would have to be.
: The knife attack techniques,*are those real techniques?*
: And where the hunted guy threw the Tracker thru the tree, I just loved that part for some reason.
 
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