The Hunted
Short description
A former special forces instructor, L.T. Bonham, has withdrawn to a quiet life in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. When hunters are found killed in the wilderness, the FBI turns to him for help. Bonham recognizes the handiwork of Aaron Hallam, a onetime student of his who was among the most gifted soldiers he trained and who has returned from combat in Kosovo deeply disturbed. Hallam lives off the land, needs no weapon beyond what he can pick up, and moves through the woods unseen. What follows is a pursuit in which the teacher must track the pupil he helped shape, while the FBI agent Abby Durrell works alongside him.
The film is directed by William Friedkin, the thirteenth of the sixteen features he made, arriving between Rules of Engagement and Bug. Tommy Lee Jones plays Bonham, Benicio del Toro plays Hallam, and Connie Nielsen plays Durrell, with Leslie Stefanson, John Finn and José Zúñiga in supporting roles. The screenplay is credited to Art Monterastelli and to David and Peter Griffiths.
Released in 2003, the film had a budget of 55 million dollars and took in about 34 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.1 from roughly 55,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 from around 954 votes. A critics' rating of 4.9 from 149 reviews places it below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The character of Tommy Lee Jones is based on the real tracker and survival expert Tom Brown Jr., who served as a technical consultant on this film.
- The final showdown was initially filmed in Portland, but completed in Port Angeles, Washington.
- According to director William Friedkin, in the final fight with Tommy Lee Jones' character, Benicio Del Toro used the same blade that his character made on-screen according to the film's plot.
- The script sometimes required rain, so many scenes were decided to be filmed in Portland, Oregon, however, it did not rain in Portland during the entire filming period.
- During the filming of the fight scene with Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro broke his arm, so filming had to be suspended for four months, and the film's release date was postponed.
- The screenplay was written by David and Peter Griffiths; at the request of producer James Jacks, the film wasn't greenlit until William Friedkin came on board as director.
- The martial art practiced by the main characters of the film is called Kali, an ancient Filipino martial art that includes techniques of fighting with sticks, knives, and bare hands. Currently, this martial art is in the arsenal of special forces units in many countries around the world, including the USA and NATO countries.
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