Hunt to Kill

Last updated
Hunt to Kill
Hunt to Kill.jpg
Directed by Keoni Waxman
Written by Frank Hannah
Produced byTim Brown
Jack Nasser
Jack Heller
Starring Steve Austin
Gil Bellows
Gary Daniels
Marie Avgeropoulos
Michael Hogan
Eric Roberts
CinematographyTom Harting
Edited byJamie Alain
Music by Michael Richard Plowman
Distributed byNasser Group
Release date
  • November 9, 2010 (2010-11-09)
Running time
98 minutes
CountriesCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish

Hunt to Kill is a 2010 Canadian-American direct-to-video action film starring Steve Austin, Gil Bellows, and Eric Roberts. [1]

Contents

Plot

The film begins with US Border Patrol Agents Jim Rhodes and Lee Davis exploring a seemingly abandoned trailer in Texas. Before entering the trailer, Lee gives Jim a watch made from climbing rope that can be used as emergency gear. They find a meth lab and are promptly attacked by men who shoot Lee and set the trailer on fire. Lee dies and Jim is forced to flee the trailer before it explodes.

Four years later, a pack of thieves have stolen millions of dollars in bearer bonds from the Hotel Palacio casino in Reno. They regroup in a warehouse where the bonds are stolen by one of the group, Lawson. The other thieves, led by Lawson's unhinged right-hand man, Banks, manage to track Lawson to Lowery, Montana, where Jim now lives with his rebellious daughter Kim. He's called in to pick her up from the sheriff's office after she was caught shoplifting, only to discover Banks beating and killing the sheriff. They force Jim to help them traverse the wilderness and find Lawson, threatening to kill Kim if he refuses. Jim reluctantly agrees and the group sets out into the mountains, though during the trek, Banks has one of the thieves, Jensen, kill off another of their own, Crab, after he hurts Kim and the thieves' only female member, Dominika, whom Banks is in love with. The thieves catch up to Lawson, who they kill after taking back the money. Assuming that Kim can guide them to the Canadian Border, they push Jim off a cliff, though Geary, the thieves' jumpy member, struggles to keep up along the way.

Now angrier than before, Jim survives and hunts the thieves, picking them off one by one (Geary, Jensen, and Dominika in that order) until only Banks is left. Banks flees to an outpost manned by three Canadian cops. He murders the cops and flees in one of their ATVs, leaving Kim behind. Jim arrives on the scene and takes one of the remaining ATVs to chase after Banks, telling Kim to use the other to get help. He catches up to Banks in an abandoned mineshaft and factory, and the two men battle, culminating in Jim killing Banks by pinning him to a wall with an ATV and causing an explosion with a flare gun. The film ends with Jim and Kim safe, having finally bonded, but realizing that they must now walk home as the other ATVs were destroyed.

Cast

Production

Hunt to Kill began filming during December 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [2] [3] Steve Austin was confirmed as the film's protagonist, Jim Rhodes, and he acted alongside Gary Daniels, and Eric Roberts. The trio had worked together for the 2010 action film The Expendables and Austin personally selected them for Hunt to Kill. Austin stated that he felt "really in my element" while filming the wilderness scenes and that he could relate to his character as both he and the character of Rhodes had spent a lot of time away from their families due to work. [4] He received the script while filming another movie in Vancouver and Austin gave input on script based on his own experience as a hunter in order to "make this a realistic hunt". [5]

Director Keoni Waxman took the directing gig, in part due to his love for the Sidney Poitier/Tom Berenger mountain thriller Shoot to Kill . He was initially tentative about doing a similar film, but when he learned that avid outdoorsman Austin would be involved, he became confident that they could put their own stamp on the concept. [6] Waxman was set to direct Born to Raise Hell with Steven Seagal, but instead had his regular stunt coordinator and second unit director Lauro Chartrand replace him on that picture. [6]

Release

Hunt to Kill was released direct to video in the United States on November 9, 2010 through Anchor Bay Entertainment. [4]

Reception

Critical reception has been predominantly negative. [7] [8] Common Sense Media rated the film 2 out of 5 stars. [9] Mike Barnard of Future Movies UK said, "There’s nothing much to see here unless you’re an ardent Stone Cold fan." [10] Dread Central rated the film 2/5, criticizing its pacing. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chop Top</span> Fictional character

Robert Sawyer, better known as "Chop-Top" is a fictional character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise; created by Tobe Hooper and L. M. Kit Carson, Chop-Top makes his first appearance in the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) as one of the film's villains and the main source of its black humor.

<i>Hatchet</i> (film) 2006 American film

Hatchet is a 2006 American slasher film written and directed by Adam Green. The film has an ensemble cast, including Joel David Moore, Kane Hodder, Deon Richmond, Tamara Feldman, Richard Riehle, Mercedes McNab, Robert Englund, and Tony Todd. The plot follows a group of tourists on a New Orleans haunted swamp tour, who accidentally get stranded in the wilderness, only to be hunted by a vengeful, supernatural deformed man who kills anyone that enters the swamp. The film's successes spawned a film series including three sequels. A comic book series followed thereafter.

Ron Balicki is an American actor, martial artist and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher, and author. He is a student of and son-in-law to Dan Inosanto.

<i>Wrong Turn 2: Dead End</i> 2007 film by Joe Lynch

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is a 2007 slasher film directed by Joe Lynch and starring Erica Leerhsen, Henry Rollins and Texas Battle. An international co-production between the United States and Canada. It is a sequel to Wrong Turn (2003) and the second installment in the Wrong Turn film series. The film received a positive response from critics and remains the best-reviewed film in the franchise. It grossed $9.2 million in home video sales.

<i>The Dead Pit</i> 1989 film by Brett Leonard

The Dead Pit is a 1989 American horror film co-written and directed by Brett Leonard, in his directorial debut. Cheryl Lawson stars as a mental patient who must defeat an undead serial killer who previously worked at the asylum, played by Danny Gochnauer.

The 1950 National League Division Two was the fifth post-war season of the second tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.

The Wild Man of the Navidad is a 2008 Bigfoot horror film written and directed by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks. It was picked up by IFC Films shortly after its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and re-released in 2021 by MPI Media Group. Dread Central named it one of the "Top 10 Bigfoot Movies of the 21st Century."

<i>Dread</i> (film) 2009 British film

Dread is a 2009 British horror film directed and written by Anthony DiBlasi and starring Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans and Hanne Steen, based on the short story of the same name by Clive Barker. The story was originally published in 1984 in volume two of Barker's Books of Blood short story collections.

<i>Born to Raise Hell</i> (film) 2010 American action film

Born to Raise Hell is a 2010 American action film directed by Lauro Chartrand, and written and produced by Steven Seagal, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Dan Bădărău and Darren Shahlavi. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on April 19, 2011.

<i>Machete Kills</i> 2013 film by Robert Rodriguez

Machete Kills is a 2013 American action exploitation film directed by Robert Rodriguez, with a screenplay by Kyle Ward, from a story by Robert and Marcel Rodriguez. Starring Danny Trejo, who returns in his role as the eponymous character, it is a sequel to Machete (2010), and is the third film based on a fake trailer in Grindhouse (2007). Michelle Rodriguez, Tom Savini, Electra and Elise Avellan, Felix Sabates, and Jessica Alba reprise their roles from the first film, and are joined by series newcomers Mel Gibson, Demián Bichir, Amber Heard, Sofía Vergara, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Hudgens, Alexa Vega, William Sadler, Marko Zaror, and Charlie Sheen. The film follows the titular ex-federal (Trejo) as he is recruited by the U.S. President (Sheen) to stop an arms dealer (Gibson) and a revolutionary (Bichir).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dread Central</span> American website

Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website four times and was selected as AMC's Site of the Week in 2008.

<i>Dark Fields</i> (2006 film) 2006 American film

Dark Fields is a Canadian–American horror film directed by Mark McNabb and Al Randall, written by Randall, and starring Jenna Scott, Lindsay Dell, Eric Phillion, Brian Austin Jr., and Ryan Hulshof as teens hunted down by a psychopathic farmer played by Al Randall. Filmed in October 2003, on a budget of $1,000, it was not released until September 2006.

<i>Found Footage 3D</i> 2016 American 3D found footage horror film

Found Footage 3D is a 2016 American found footage horror film. It is the debut feature film of writer/director Steven DeGennaro, and was produced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre co-creator Kim Henkel. It is the first found footage horror movie shot natively in 3D. Filming began on May 26, 2014 in Gonzales, Texas, starring Carter Roy, Alena von Stroheim, Chris O'Brien, Tom Saporito, Scott Allen Perry, Jessica Perrin, and Scott Weinberg, and wrapped mid-June 2014.

<i>Absolution</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Keoni Waxman

Absolution is a 2015 English-language Romanian action thriller film directed by Keoni Waxman and starring Steven Seagal, Vinnie Jones, and Byron Mann. The film is a sequel to A Good Man, and is the sixth collaboration between Steven Seagal and director Waxman. The film also marks the third collaboration between Seagal and Jones, and between Seagal and Mann.

<i>Red Sparrow</i> 2018 film by Francis Lawrence

Red Sparrow is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Irons, and Ciarán Hinds. It tells the story of a former ballerina turned Russian intelligence officer, who is sent to make contact with a CIA officer in the hope of discovering the identity of a mole.

Keoni Waxman is an American film director best known for his work with Steven Seagal since 2009 with the film The Keeper.

Night Caller is a 2021 American horror film directed by Chad Ferrin, starring Susan Priver, Robert Miano, Steve Railsback, Bai Ling and Lew Temple.

References

  1. "Hunt to Kill (review)". The Los Angeles Times (Newspapers.com). November 12, 2010. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  2. Schaefer, Glen (November 22, 2009). "Now Shooting: Movie writer Glen Schaefer on five productions shooting around B.C." The Province (Newspapers.com). Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  3. Kay, Jeremy (December 12, 2009). "Anchor Bay takes select territories on Steve Austin action H2K". Screen. Archived from the original on 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  4. 1 2 Wixson, Heather (2010-11-05). "Stone Cold Steve Austin Talks Hunt to Kill". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  5. Fowler, Matt (2010-11-08). "IGN and Stone Cold Go Hunting". IGN. Archived from the original on 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  6. 1 2 "Interview: Action Director Keoni Waxman Comes to Chat with Me". actionreloaded.com. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  7. Woods, Kevin (November 4, 2010). "Hunt to Kill (review)". Anderson Independent-Mail (Newspapers.com). Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  8. Lott, Rod. "Hunt to Kill". Oklahoma Gazette. Archived from the original on 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  9. Anderson, Jeffrey. "Hunt to Kill". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  10. Barnard, Mike. "Hunt to Kill Review". Future Movies UK. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  11. Foywonder (2010-11-08). "Hunt to Kill (2010)". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-08.