In “The Hunted”, L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) is a former warfare instructor who is called back into active duty to help track down a top Special Forces agent gone bad. The agent, Aaron Hallam (Benicio del Toro), is haunted by nightmares of the killing he experienced in Kosovo and is now loose in Pacfic Northwest targeting game hunters. Bonham is pulled into the game because of his expert tracking skills, as well as his relationship with Hallam… his former student. I’m always interested in catching any films directed by William Friedkin. He doesn’t always hit them out of the ballpark the way he did with “The French Connection”, but you’re pretty much guaranteed a gritty and violent experience. “The Hunted” is not one of Friedkin’s best movies, but the plot, pacing and length (coming in at a trim 94 minutes), helps to keep the interest level high. What really makes the movie, at least for me, were the performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio del Toro. Jones of one of those actors that just has a way of slipping into a character and making him believable.

His performance here as Bonham is inspired a real life Special Forces instructor, who also happened to serve as an advisor on the film.

I was even more fascinated by Benicio Del Toro’s performance in the film, as this was quite a departure from anything I had seen him do before. I’m most familiar with him as the barely intelligible Fred Fenster from “The Usual Suspects” and the drug-addled loony tune Dr. Gonzo in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Both of these were incredible performances, but in “The Hunted” I finally got to see him in a more straightforward role.

One of the best features of the Paramount DVD release of “The Hunted” is the commentary by director Friedkin. He had such an interesting career, and he talks quite a bit about his experiences, making many references to his earlier films. Even here, he readily admits “The Hunted” isn’t Shakespeare. It’s an action movie and that it should be short and to the point.

The rest of the features are pretty standard, but are still worth sitting through from a filmmaking standpoint. There are four, and they each come in between five to ten minutes and focus on various aspects of the creative process in making “The Hunted.” One in particular introduces us to Tom Brown, the Special Forces instructor I mentioned before. The six deleted scenes that are included on the disc would have all fit well within the context of the film, but I’m sure that Friedkin excised them more to keep the film’s length manageable.

I enjoyed “The Hunted”, more so for the reasons I mentioned above, than for the movie itself. There were points in the film that felt a bit contrived, and perhaps a bit unbelievable. But as I often remind myself that it is only a movie and doesn’t always have to reflect real life, I can forgive these transgressions, sit back and simply be entertained.

Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio del Toro, Connie Nielsen
Extras: Commentary by director William Friedkin, 4 Documentaries on the Making of the Film, 6 Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English Dolby Surround, French 5.1 Surround
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 7/12/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Strong Bloody Violence and some Language)
Website

We'll give The Hunted a C.