‘The Hunter’ finds Willem Dafoe searching for the extinct Tasmanian tiger
The Hunter is a small film with a huge impact. Willem Dafoe offers an anchoring performance as Martin David, a mercenary sent to Tasmania to find the elusive and possibly extinct local tiger. A video has emerged that seems to show that the tiger species may still be alive, so Martin heads into the wilderness to utilize his hunting skills.
In Tasmania, he stays at the house of Lucy (Frances O’Connor) and her two children. He rents a room and tries to keep to himself, but the children make that impossible. As their mother lounges around the house in an obvious depression over the apparent death of her husband, the children look to Martin as a father figure. He’s reluctant to take on that role.
The local loggers instantly classify Martin as an unwelcome intruder. They don’t like how he’s shacking up at Lucy’s place, and it doesn’t take long for them to get violent. Sam Neill turns up as a wizened local who believes Martin is in the area to research Tasmanian devils. Everyone in these rural parts feels mysterious and dangerous, and Martin knows that the wilderness may be the least of his problems.
The 102-minute feature succeeds mostly because of Dafoe’s performance. He’s cool-headed and calculated, which fits his mercenary character. When confronted with obvious violence, he takes a breath and tries to deal with the situation in a pacifistic manner. But underlying the calm exterior is a cutthroat interior, just ready to be unleashed.
The Tasmanian tiger becomes secondary to the story, almost like the road to El Dorado is much more important than the city itself. By searching for this animal, Martin needs to reason with himself and define his life along different terms. Lucy’s two children (and eventually Lucy herself) have a transfixing quality, and they know how to break the hard facade of this dedicated hunter.
Neill provides solid supporting work, and O’Connor blossoms in a somewhat underwritten role. Dafoe, though, is the one to cherish. He embodies Martin with a scary reality.
The landscapes in the film are beautiful. From waterfalls to breathtaking vistas atop cliffs, The Hunter is well-lensed and directed by Daniel Nettheim, working off a screenplay by Alice Addison. The story never overstays its welcome and almost always keeps our interest. We fully sign up for this journey into Conrad’s heart of darkness, where Martin finds few friends and so many enemies. His quest to find the last of the tigers becomes our quest to find out about this man and his steely determination.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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The Hunter
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2012
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Directed by Daniel Nettheim
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Written by Alice Addison
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Starring Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor and Sam Neill
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Running time: 102 minutes
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Rated R for language and brief violence
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Rating:
