When a Special Forces assassin goes off the deep end (and we are talking all the way off), it's up to the guy who trained him to stop him ... or die trying.
Aaron Hallam (Benicio Del Toro) is one of the best assassins the Special Forces has ever seen, but it seems "battle stress" has gotten the best of him -- or all of him, for that matter. Taking off into the Oregon wilderness, he encounters some deer hunters. Perturbed that they're pursuing their gentle prey with high-powered weapons, Hallam whispers, "When you kill with your hands, there is a reverence. There is no reverence in what you do." Ooookay ... whatever he thinks he means, it's clear that this guy has some major issues. He then swiftly dismembers the hunters with nothing more than a knife and, in a short period of time, quickly becomes public enemy number one.
Hallam's expertise as a trained hunter far surpasses anything the FBI has had to deal with, and frankly, Special Agent Abby Durrell (Connie Nielsen, "One Hour Photo") is in over her head. So what else is there to do but call in L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones), a survivalist and tracking expert who once trained Hallam in the art of killing. When checking out the crime scene, L.T. knows immediately who the culprit is. In fact, Hallam had written letters to Bonham pleading for help as he began to slip over the edge of sanity. But busy fighting his own demons, L.T. ignored the pleas. Now the trainer feels responsible for the way things have turned out (surprise, surprise) and is compelled to stop his former student.
The basic story line of "The Hunted" certainly has a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it's a potential that's never reached. It's as if all of the old action cliches have been thrown into a blender and quickly shoved in your face. Most notably is the series of stunts and images lifted from "The Fugitive." While "The Hunted" is missing that dramatic moment when Aaron might turn to his hunter and declare, "I didn't kill my wife," there are plenty of other reminders of Jones' famous role, including several waterfalls of varying sizes and shapes.
What we are left with is a lot of blood and no depth.
Now, I know action-thrillers aren't supposed to be known for their hidden meanings and some blood is to be expected, but a little perspective would be nice. Even if it's only to keep the story going. Instead, the plot becomes rather incoherent. Interestingly, though, the story doesn't follow the typical pattern of "the hunted" and "the hunter." The lines are definitely blurred. There's still a tiresome back and forth and what we ultimately are left with is a tedious cat-and-mouse hunt that you feel is meant to be action-packed, but ends up leaving you with the impatience and annoyance comparable to waiting for ketchup to come out of a bottle.
Perhaps the films greatest downfall, with respect to its plot, was its lack of an emotional connection between the characters of Jones and Del Toro. Hallam evidently regards the older man as a father figure (the movie even reaches clumsily for a biblical reference to emphasize this), but L.T. never really feels this, and as a result, neither do we. In fact, we are not given the opportunity to form a connection with any of the characters and ultimately end up really not caring what happens to them. This is obviously not the best technique to try and keep an audience on the edge of its seat.
Jones and Del Toro do prove themselves yet again to be exceptional actors, especially considering what they have to work with.
Jones elaborates on the bounty hunter character he so skillfully created in "The Fugitive." He is a little longer in the tooth this time around, showing more conflicted emotions on his crinkled, stony face. The circles under his eyes look a little more creased, sagging with the weight of the world. After all, L.T. does have to reconcile himself to the fact he trained men to become expert killing machines and now one of them is on a rampage. Or perhaps it's just that Jones is not exactly still a spring chicken. Either way, you can rely on the same great acting skills we've seen for years.
Del Toro does a wonderful job of portraying a man who is more than a few fries short of a value-meal. The Oscar-winning actor's eyes always have that faraway, haunted look, and he manages to convey a multi-leveled character who is more than just your average soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The bottom line: if you enjoy super bloody war gore movies, or have always wanted to learn 101 Things to Do with a Knife, then you've come to the right place; but if you are looking for an action-packed suspense thriller, hunt elsewhere.
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