The Hunter
![Watch film The Hunter — The Hunter (1980) Original Trailer [HD]](https://www.acmodasi.in/amdb/images/posters/e/2/lJjRkvkawPs1.webp)
Short description
Ralph Thorson is an experienced bounty hunter who earns a living capturing fugitives and those who violate their bail. While tracking criminals across Illinois, Texas, and Nebraska, he faces a dangerous shift in roles when a vengeful killer begins hunting him. The conflict is complicated by Thorson's personal life, as he navigates his relationship with his pregnant partner and his own doubts about bringing a child into a violent world.
Directed by Buzz Kulik, this film follows Villa Rides and Riot in his directorial chronology. The movie stars Steve McQueen as Thorson, appearing alongside Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton, Ben Johnson, and Richard Venture. Produced by Paramount and Rastar Productions, the project featured a credited cast of 67 people and a crew of 49.
The film has received a moderate reception from viewers and critics. It holds a rating of 6.2/10 on IMDb based on 7,700 votes and a 5.9/10 on TMDB from 162 votes. Film critics gave the movie a slightly lower score of 5.6/10 across 13 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- A month after filming ended, Steve McQueen (who played the protagonist Ralph Torson) was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had felt the first signs of the illness as early as the filming in Chicago in the fall of 1979. Specifically, during the filming of a scene where his character runs down the street and turns a corner, he did not emerge from around the corner after the director yelled "Cut!" He was found right around the corner, leaning against the building wall and trying to catch his breath. McQueen performed nearly all of his stunt scenes without a double. He passed away on November 7, 1980, at the age of 50.
- When Steve McQueen arrived for filming, he was placed in an upscale hotel with all the amenities. However, he soon discovered that the crew members were staying in a cheap motel near the filming location. McQueen immediately checked out of the hotel and moved into the motel with the rest of the production team.
- The idea to portray his character as a poor driver belonged to Steve McQueen himself, whose own driving skills were legendary.
- The real Ralph Thorson, portrayed on screen by Steve McQueen, died in a car bomb explosion in 1991.
- The toy railroad shown in the film is from Steve McQueen's own collection.
- The role of Tommy Price, played in the film by LeVar Burton, was originally written in the script for a dog, but Steve McQueen liked Burton as an actor so much that he asked for the role to be rewritten for a human.
- During the fight in the stilt house, Steve McQueen's character uses a 36mm non-lethal weapon that fires bean bags filled with shot. Such stunners were used to stop a person without causing serious injury. Nowadays, electric shocks are used for this purpose.
- Much of the film is a product of the screenwriters' imagination, but the main events of the protagonist's life are depicted accurately.
- Three 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix cars were used in the filming of the chase scene in the multi-level parking garage. One of them plunged into the river from a height of 17 stories (the car was later recovered from the water). The car's fall was captured by six cameras, one of which was mounted in a helicopter hovering nearby.
- The action scene on the elevated metro train in Chicago was filmed over 10 days in September 1979. The filmmakers were provided with a 7-car train and were limited to a filming window from 9:00 AM to shortly after 3:00 PM. Steve McQueen's character (the actor performed without stunt doubles) was on the roof of the train traveling at speeds over 60 km/h.
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