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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Where the heck was Sam Peckinpah?!, May 3, 2002
The 1981 film "Death Hunt" is a motion picture screaming for an audience. It has all the earmarks of a memorable action/adventure. But the final result falls short due to the lack of an accomplished director (who is Peter Hunt?) and cluttered second half."Death Hunt" is a great action flick, make no doubt. It's oddly enjoyable seeing old veterans such as Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin - both in the twilight of their unique careers - chewing up the lush Canadian scenery while involved in a battle of wills during a early 20th century man hunt. But it's the build up to the eventual chase, based on a true story, most viewers will remember from this sadly neglected film. Mr. Bronson plays a man weary of society and war who returns to the mountains to get away from the bustle. Along the way, he rudely breaks up a man-made dogfight, saving a wounded shepherd from certain death. Such a rude interruption creates resentment, and several of the dog's former owners hike up to Charles' cabin to take the hound back. Bullets soon fly and a combatant ends up dead. Lee Marvin, as the local Canadian Mountie, is then drawn into the conflict. A surprise is in store for the angry posse as they discover that trying to corner Mr. Bronson is akin to trapping a wild beast. By the conclusion of "Death Hunt," many in the cast of supporting veterans (Andrew Stevens, Carl Weathers, Ed Lauter, Angie Dickinson) will end up stiffer than a frozen tree. I will not give away the build up, suffice to say that the action is crisp, fiery and pumped. And the villains of this film, a sad bunch barely a notch above the fighting dogs they force into battle, are reminiscent of many of the colorful miscreants of early Sam Peckinpah films ("Ride the High Country," "The Wild Bunch"). In fact, Peckinpah would have been the perfect director for this opus, though if memory serves he was working on the European "Cross of Iron" at the time. With Mr. Peckinpah at the helm, "Death Hunt" could have achieved lofty heights. Instead, we are treated to a choppy second half of poor editing, confusing continuity, fabricated character motivation (Marvin constantly smiling through his binoculars at a retreating Bronson) and scenes of an attacking airplane which go on forever. What viewers will remember most about "Death Hunt," besides the already-mentioned opening half, is the near-brilliant performance of Lee Marvin as a burned-out Mountie. His presence is the gritty highlight of this energetic film, and one realizes his persona was one of the most admirably cyncial in motion picture history. "Death Hunt" is a great discovery for those not yet acquainted with its rustic appeal. It is truthfully one of the last quality films of both Marvin's and Bronson's careers, thus it's the end of two commendable eras. That must be worth the price of someone's hard-earned ticket.
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DVD ~ Charles Bronson
DVD ~ Charles Bronson
DVD ~ Charles Bronson
DVD ~ Charles Bronson
DVD ~ Lee Marvin
