Upload
Alert icon
Thumbnail

About this movie

Genres:
Drama
Language:
English
Running time:
1:41:42
Partner rating:
R
Released:

Cast & Crew

Cast

  1. Willem Dafoe Martin
  2. Frances O'Connor Lucy
  3. Sam Neill Jack
  4. Morgana Davies Sass
  5. Finn Woodlock Bike
  6. Jacek Koman Middleman
  7. Callan Mulvey Rival Hunter
  8. John Brumpton Publican
  9. Daniel Wyllie Pool Player
  10. Sullivan Stapleton Doug

Directors

  1. Daniel Nettheim

Producers

  1. Vincent Sheehan

Writers

  1. Alice Addison

The Hunter

Thumbnail Play video in overlay2:16

Trailer for The Hunter

A mercenary employed by a highly secretive biotech-research company sets out into the wilds of Tasmania in search of the elusive Tasmanian tiger -- an animal assumed to be extinct by scientists, yet rumored to have been spotted in the area in recent years. Adapted from the novel by author Julia Leigh, The Hunter follows Martin (Willem Dafoe) as he ventures out on his mission and arrives at the home of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor), who has... A mercenary employed by a highly secretive biotech-research company sets out into the wilds of Tasmania in search of the elusive Tasmanian tiger -- an animal assumed to be extinct by scientists, yet rumored to have been spotted in the area in recent years. Adapted from the novel by author Julia Leigh, The Hunter follows Martin (Willem Dafoe) as he ventures out on his mission and arrives at the home of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor), who has been heavily depressed since her husband vanished into the surrounding wilderness months ago, and who now lives alone with her young daughter Sass (Morgana Davies) and taciturn son Bike (Finn Woodlock) - who have volunteered to host him in their home during the course of his research excursion. Shortly after arriving in Tasmania, Martin is accompanied to the edge of the wilds by Jack Mindy (Sam Neill), an old friend of Lucy's who has kept watch over her family and balks at the newcomer's decision to navigate the rough terrain unaccompanied. In the wake of a clash with hostile local loggers, Martin gradually begins to learn more about Lucy's family and develops a tenuous friendship with her two young children. But later, just as Martin begins to feel as if his goal is finally within reach, an unexpected development sends his mission into a tailspin and causes him to question the motivations behind capturing such a strange and majestic creature.

Trailer for The Hunter

Loading...
Working...

Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes

Scored 'fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes

70%Tomatometer score: 70% positive reviews from professional critics.

percent positive reviews

  1. Positive review
    Steve Rose, Guardian [UK] Dafoe is eminently watchable, and for the most part it's a distinctive, atmospheric movie that cherishes the persistence of mystery. – Full review External link
  2. Positive review
    Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph There's a gripping moral weight to the questions of survival and profiteering the story raises, and the worryingly inexact moment when our interest in endangered species tips over into thoughts of... – Full review External link
  3. Positive review
    Kim Newman, Empire Magazine A slow-burning, beautifully shot, understated philosophical thriller. – Full review External link
  4. Negative review
    Ty Burr, Boston Globe A movie with more plot than it can comfortably handle. – Full review External link
  5. Negative review
    Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune It's all intended to be darkly metaphorical. In actuality, it's a mediocre film unfolding without plan, purpose or enthusiasm. – Full review External link

Read more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

You might also like...

  1. Thumbnail

    Melancholia

    2:15:26 | 2011

    Lars Von Trier's Melancholia, a meditation on depression and the end of the world, stars Kirsten Dunst as an emotionally troubled newlywed named Justine, whose sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) throws her a lavish wedding party. While her lack of emotional stability begins to take a toll on Justine's new marriage as well as the party -- and o...

    Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland

    Positive review 78% $2.99
  2. Thumbnail

    Take This Waltz

    Partner rating: R
    1:56:24 | 2011

    Sarah Polley's sophomore directorial effort Take This Waltz stars Michelle Williams as Margot, a 28-year-old Toronto woman who has been married for five years to Lou (Seth Rogen), a cookbook author who specializes in chicken dishes. One day she meets Daniel (Luke Kirby) her neighbor across the street, and there is a quick and lasting connection ...

    Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman

    Positive review 78% $3.99
  3. Thumbnail

    The World's Fastest Indian

    Partner rating: PG-13
    2:07:02 | 2005

    The true story of a man who never gave up on his dreams of doing something big -- and doing it very, very fast -- provides the basis for this engaging comedy drama. Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) was born in 1899 in Invercargill, New Zealand. From childhood, Munro had a passion for machines that moved fast, and when he was 21 he bought his first m...

    Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Paul Rodriguez

    Positive review 82% $2.99
  4. Thumbnail

    Lincoln

    Partner rating: PG-13
    2:29:56 | 2012

    Steven Spielberg helms his long-in-the-making biopic of Abraham Lincoln for DreamWorks and Touchstone Pictures. Daniel Day-Lewis portrays the former head of state in the Tony Kushner-penned adaptation of Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals, which chronicles the President's time in office between 1861 and 1865 as he dealt with personal dem...

    Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, Joseph Gordon-Levi...

    Positive review 89% $3.99
  5. Thumbnail

    Jack Reacher

    Partner rating: PG-13
    2:10:25 | 2012

    Ex-military investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) leaps off the pages of Lee Child's bestselling novel and onto the big screen in the explosive thriller the critics are calling "taut, muscular, gruff and cool"*. When an unspeakable crime is committed, all evidence points to the suspect in custody who offers up a single note in defense: "Get Jac...

    Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, Jai...

    Positive review 62% $4.99
  6. Thumbnail

    Flight

    Partner rating: R
    2:18:36 | 2012

    In Robert Zemeckis' drama Flight, alcoholic pilot Whip Whittaker (Denzel Washington) does a miraculous job crash-landing a plane that has suffered a severe mechanical breakdown in midair, however the mandated investigation into the incident will inevitably lead to the discovery that he was flying the plane while drunk and on cocaine. As he attem...

    Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, ...

    Positive review 78% $4.99

Staff Picks

  1. Thumbnail

    Tiger Eyes

    Tiger Eyes marks the first major motion picture adaptation from the work of iconic author Judy Blume, whose books have sold more than 82 million copies in 41...

    Tiger Eyes

    Partner rating: PG-13
    1:32:52 | 2013

    Tiger Eyes marks the first major motion picture adaptation from the work of iconic author Judy Blume, whose books have sold more than 82 million copies in 41 countries. Davey is a 17 year-old girl abruptly relocated by her grieving mother to the strange "atom bomb" town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. With the sudden and violent death of her father, ...

    Willa Holland, Tatanka Means, Russell Means, Cynthia Stevenson, Elise Eberle,...

    $3.99
  2. Thumbnail

    Cloud Atlas

    Directors Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski team up to helm this adaptation of David Mitchell's popular novel Cloud Atlas. The trio have put tog...

    Cloud Atlas

    Partner rating: R
    2:51:54 | 2012

    Directors Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, and Lana Wachowski team up to helm this adaptation of David Mitchell's popular novel Cloud Atlas. The trio have put together an all-star cast, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Grant, to play various characters over the course of several different historical time periods. The various ...

    Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae,...

    Positive review 67% $3.99
  3. Thumbnail

    Quartet

    An opera company filled with retired performers reunite once a year to stage a fund-raiser for their theater in Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut. Maggie Sm...

    Quartet

    Partner rating: PG-13
    1:38:32 | 2012

    An opera company filled with retired performers reunite once a year to stage a fund-raiser for their theater in Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut. Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, and Billy Connolly star.

    Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon

    Positive review 79% $3.99
to add this to Watch Later
Loading...
Working...