Amazon.com: The Hunter: Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton: Amazon Instant Video

Product Details

Synopsis: Steve McQueen's last movie shows the dynamic talent of the late, great actor in one of his most memorable roles: the true story of Ralph "Papa" Thorson, a modern day bounty hunter. Thorson's exploits are detailed as he pursues a number of fugitives who have skipped bail.

Starring: Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach

Supporting actors: Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton, Ben Johnson, Richard Venture, Tracey Walter, Thomas Rosales Jr., Teddy Wilson, Ray Bickel, Bobby Bass, Karl Schueneman, Margaret Mary O'Hara, James Spinks, Frank Delfino, Zora Margolis, Poppy Lagos, Dea St. La Mount, Lillian Adams, Thor Nielsen, Stan Wojno, Jodi Moon

Directed by: Buzz Kulik

Genre: Action, Biography, Thriller

Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Release year: 1980

Studio: Paramount

ASIN: B000W09BVM

Rights & Requirements

Rental rights: 24 hour viewing period Details

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Also available on DVD

The Hunter DVD ~ Steve McQueen

3.7 out of 5 stars (34) $29.99

Theatrical Release Information

US Theatrical Release Date: August 01, 1980
Production Company: Rastar Pictures
Filming Locations: Alexander Hamilton High School - 2955 S. Robertson Blvd., Palms District, Los Angeles, California, USA | Bonfield, Illinois, USA | Chicago, Illinois, USA | East Los Angeles, California, USA | Herscher, Illinois, USA | Kankakee, Illinois, USA | Lemont, Illinois, USA | Los Angeles, California, USA | Manteno, Illinois, USA | Marina City - 300 N. State Street, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Video Format Details

Online Viewing	PC Download	TiVo box	Portable device
View instantly from any PC or Mac with a broadband connection	Ready to watch in about 40 minutes*	Ready to watch in about 45 minutes*	Ready to transfer in about 40 minutes*

* Your download times may vary--estimates shown are for a typical DSL connection (1.5 Mbits/sec). Rental videos cannot be transferred to a portable device.

Customer Reviews

34 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Action Dramatic Film with a Tinge of Melanchoy, January 13, 2001

By

gobirds2 (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hunter [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an interesting and highly entertaining film of an actual modern day bounty hunter "Pappy" Thorson played by Steve McQueen in one of his best roles. McQueen gives an excellent performance of the aging bounty hunter that has outlived his usefulness and is out of place in the modern concrete world. One poignant scene has McQueen and Ben Johnson exchanging dialogue between two old lawmen. This was Steve McQueen's last film and you can detect a sense of better days long gone by. Yet he went out in the vein as the cool man of action that he was best associated. This was probably Buzz Kulik's finest directorial achievement as well. Kulik never seemed to live up to his potential, but this is his best effort. Kulik was able to get great performances from the actors and develop a camaraderie that can be felt on the screen. The cast also included Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold and LeVar Burton. Composer Michel Legrand who scored "The Thomas Crown Affair" was brought in to score this last film for McQueen. This film was a critical failure. I beg to differ. Knowing a little about the type of man Steve McQueen was this film demonstrates his great ability as an actor and a real human being. He knew the end was near and he wanted to go out the same door he came in.

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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars " My friends call me Papa- you can call me MR. THORSON...", November 29, 2004

By

Matthew Romanchuk (Westwood, N.J. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Hunter (DVD)

This was Steve McQueens' last film and is not generally held in high regard by critics and fans alike. However, it is an interesting mix of comedy and action with an array of memorable characters that the viewer will remember. McQueen plays Ralph "Papa" Thorson, a modern day bounty hunter that will employ practically any means to capture bail jumpers. ( The real Ralph Thorson has a cameo in the film as a bartender) Though McQueen was ill at the time of production,( he allegedly only found out of his terminal condition after checking into the hospital after filming was completed) he gives a multilayered performance which shows his high degree of skill as an actor. There are of course some excellent action sequences, but what is more interesting is the subtle/low key humour that McQueen employs to round out his character: he is shown to be a terrible driver in the movie, while in real life he was near professional level. Also his love of antiques shows his old school obsessions and distrust of the modern world. " Anything new is not good." he states rather ruefully. There is a sweet subplot where his girlfriend( Kathryn Harrold) is preparing to have their child which collides with the scary main plot where a former quarry turns the tables on McQueen and comes after him for revenge. Eli Wallach is very amusing in a supporting role as a bail bondsman, as Levar Burton is as a bail jumper who is befriended by McQueen and starts hanging around his house. Mixed in along the way are several other scenes which show the professionalism and determination of McQueens' character to carry out his job, but still remain an honest and decent man at the end of the day. One in particular is very disturbing where a cop friend of McQueens' gets into deep trouble and can only see a violent solution to his problem. In 1980, I was on a plane from New York to Chicago when Good Morning America showed a clip from this just released film. It was very interesting to me that when I observed the fellow passengers( practically all of them were businessmen in suits fiddling with reports and calculators) they were simply hypnotized by Steve McQueens' presense when with gun in hand, he confronts a would be escapee with grit and droll humuor. I kind of felt then that they were thinking: " Yeah, I wish I was doing something like that and was this guy." So in summary, " The Hunter" is a well made action film/character study which caps the great Steve McQueens' career. Audiences will also appreciate the subtle/sly comedy which is very deftly worked into the film. Thankyou Mr. McQueen. Your work will not be forgotten.

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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fitting movie to end a career, May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Hunter [VHS] (VHS Tape)

McQueen is fantastic as Papa Thorson - a bounty hunter devoted to his family, friends and work. This is Steve McQueen's last film before he died, and rates as one of his best in my opinion, along with The Sand Pebbles, Papillon and The Great Escape. The Chicago chase scene is awesome, and McQueen's acting as the unlikely hunter is very believable. They don't make action flicks like this anymore, with the lead as a real person, not just a macho gun toting hero. Recommended.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Wrong Region
I ordered this DVD without realizing that Region 2 would not play on our DVD player. Thus we didn't see it. Read more

Published 29 days ago by D. Turpin

5.0 out of 5 stars A McQueen Final Classic
This was a classic Steve McQueen movie with lots of action and some humor too. Based on a true story.

Published 2 months ago by Movie Steve

5.0 out of 5 stars DVD
A great Steve McQueen feature. Serious, contempory (for when it was released) real and comic. Classic views of downtown Chicago and the Marina center.