Death Hunt (Region B)

Death Hunt is an entertaining but flawed 1981 action/western crossover featuring two strong leads in the form of Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin and good support from the likes of Carl Weathers(Rocky/The Predetor) and Angie Dickinson(Dressed To Kill/Rio Bravo) with direction from Peter R Hunt who served as editor on both Dr.No and Goldfinger and director of On Her Majesy's Secret Service.Based on alleged true events from 1931, Death Hunt follows the story of lone Canadian trapper Albert Johnson(Bronson) who forces the sale of a fighting dog with its sadistic dog breeder owner Hasel(Ed Lauter) after he witnesses a vicious dog on dog fight which leaves one of the animals near death. The dog breeder reluctantly agrees to sell the dog to Johnson for $200(Johnson has got his boot on his throat at the time) but soon says the dog is worth a $1000 and claims that Johnson is a thief. Hasel takes his story to the town mountie Sgt.Egder Millen(Marvin) who is rightly disinterested with his claim so Hasel takes the law into his own hands and with his rag tag bunch of friends sets out to Johnsons remote cabin with one sole intention. Things go wrong though when Johnson kills one of the men in self defence. This leaves Sgt.Millen no choice but to form a posse lead by his head tracker(Weathers) to take in Johnson but his sympathetic approach to bringing in his man is thwarted by Hasel's loathing chums which leaves Johnson on the run in the desolte Canadian wilderness leaving a trail of bloodshed in his wake.Exciting and violent but oddly paced, Death Hunt does seem to have a few continuty problems and the narrative can often come across as episodic. That said there is alot to enjoy here if your in a undemading mood. The action is suprisingly bloody and visceral with messy headshots and plenty juicy squib effects lending the movie a gritty realistic tone. The Canadian locations are stunning too often making one wish this were shot in scope rather than flat 1.85:1 to truely feel the sence of desolation and wide open space. Performances are also hard to fault with both Bronson and Marvin perfect for the roles. Bronson gets the head billing here doing his strong, silent but misunderstood thing which he perfected for over a decade in movies such as Death Wish and Chato's Land but to be fair this is Marvins movie all the way as its his Millen character that essentially drives the narrative. He comes across as typically hard in the action segments but does show a suprisingly soft and fair side at various points in the film.Mostly forgotten now, Death Hunt is well worth searching out for western fans. Despite its location and era this has many crossover elements with the genre and should please fans of the two leading men.Picture:Following on the trend of recent times this Twentieth Century Fox licensed release from Shout! Factory's subsidery company Timeless Media is region free despite the packaging indicating this is region locked to A. Death Hunt is presented on a BD25 Blu ray disc and encoded with an AVC full HD 1080p transfer framed at 1.85:1. The image is just ok but never outstanding. The cinematography can often look a little soft and unimaginative despite the wonderful scenic locations but this is how the film probably always looked and is no real fault of the transfer. The opening credits look very grainy and rough juxtaposing shots of the mountains with the bright red credits. Into the movie proper though and things do begin to tighten up. Close ups and interiors benefit the most from this HD presentation with plenty of nice detail and strong filmic textures on display. Out door segments can at times look a little overly processed with some sharpening especially around trees and other flora but for the most part does look fairly natural. Colours appear strong and inkeeping with the source and blacks while never inky deep are mostly strong with only mild crush. Naturally occuring film grain is present throughout the movie and there is little to no evidence of age related damage. Hardly demo worthy but when you consider the relative obscurity of Death Hunt this presentation is hard to fault.Sound:Sound doesent fair so well for this release. Presented in uncompressed DTS-HD Master 2.0 this has a few odd problems. This is suprisingly a very mildly separated stereo track(I was expecting mono) with good reproduction of dialogue which sounds crisp, well defined and centred. Where the track fails though is the delivery of effects. Although there is some left and right stereo separations in place some foley effects that should have remained in the centre channel also wander off into the left and right for no apparent reason making the track sound off kilter and unrealistic. Music reproduction can sound boxy and forced too which is a shame as the score is pretty strong. There is a little depth and agression to the numerous bouts of gunplay and there is some low end puch but this is far from a good mix.Extras:Extras are good especially if you consider how forgotten this movie is today. Two commentaty tracks head the list of extras. The first is definatly the best with input from the writers who give details on the true events that inspired the film and how it was intended as a homage to the work of Sam Peckinpah. Commentary two consists of three actors who starred in Death Hunt William Sanderson, Andrew Stevens and Len Lesser. While not as strong as the first track this is interesting and informative. Next is an on camera interview with producer Albert S Ruddy who seems to fondly remember the production and stars of Death Hunt. Last up is the original theatrical trailer presented here in 1080i.Conclusion:Hardly a classic Death Hunt is engaging and reasonably action packed with an interesting premise and good cast. It can come across as a little sporadic in its delivery but with strong characters to carry it through to its climax this should please newcomers whilst long time fans should be more than happy with the extras and presentaion Shout! Factory have offered here.As a footnote some have tried to saddle Death Hunt as a First Blood knockoff and indeed there are some similarities but as this was filmed a year before Stallone took his one man army into the the woods this accusation of blatant plagiarism is hardly true. .

This is an excellent action film, one of the best ever made and one of my all times favourites! Below, more of my impressions, with some limited SPOILERS:1. The inspiration.This film was inspired by real events. In July 1931, a man calling himself "Albert Johnson" settled on board of Rat River in Northwest Territories in Northern Canada. The man was a kind of irascible hermit, living from what he hunted or gathered in the woods and avoiding all human contact. Soon some local Indians complained that he regularly destroyed their traps and/or stole animals caught in them. On 31 December 1931 four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) troopers came to his cabin with a search warrant - but "Johnson" refused to let them in or even talk to them and instead opened fire, badly wounding one the policemen. Reinforcements were called and a long shootout began, after which "Johnson's" cabin was destroyed with dynamite - but he himself survived. Short on amunitions and concerned by the approaching blizzard, the policemen had to retreat. They were able to return only two weeks later - but "Johnson" was nowhere to be found.RCMP trackers managed finally to find his new hideout in the woods on 30 January 1932 but in a new shooting battle the fugitif bested the policemen, killed one of them and forced them to retreat again. From that moment this manhunt became front page news in Canadian press and the man was nicknamed "Mad Trapper of Rat River". The RCMP hired volunteers from local Indian tribes and also deployed at least one airplane (a first in police operations in Canada). The RCMP also blocked mountain passes to prevent the fugitif from escaping into neighboring province of Yukon. To general surprise "Johnson" managed nevertheless to cross the mountains anyway, passing at high altitude in the middle of snow storms!At that moment more planes were mobilised to try to follow the tracks of the "Mad Trapper" and finally it was one of the pilots who led the RCMP to the ultimate hiding place of the fugitif. On 17 February 1932, on board of Eagle River in Yukon territory, a new shootout took place in which one of the policemen was grievously wounded - but "Johnson" himself was killed. During all the time of manhunt and during all the three gunfights "Johnson" was never heard saying one single word...The name "Albert Johnson" was quickly discovered to be an alias - but the police was never able to find who really was that man.2. The "Death Hunt" compared to the real story.This film changed very, very considerably the story, by showing "Johnson" (Charles Bronson) as indeed an almost totally silent hermit who limits his contact with other people to the strict minimum, but who is otherwise harmless, until the day he enters in conflict with some local bullies. In fact in the film "Johnson" initially is more a victim of agression than a crazed murderer. Also, the character of the pilot who tracked "Johnson" is in this film completely changed - and finally, we learn the "true identity" of the fugitif in the end. There are also some other changes and extra developments, which you will have to discover by yourself.3. The cast.Charles Bronson as "Johnson" and Lee Marvin as the grizzled, hard drinking "Mountie" who leads the manhunt would be already reason enough to see this film, as it was their first colaboration since "Dirty dozen" fourteen years earlier - and also the last one... Angie Dickinson appears also here and she is as always gorgous and awesome - and finally Carl Weathers plays here a black "Mountie" named George Washington Lincoln Brown...))) (but everybody calls him "Sundog" for short). This ensemble cast makes this film a real must.4. The visual aspect and action scenes.Those are two greatly successful aspects of this film. The deadly beauty of Canadian North in winter is shown here in all its lethal majesty - and the action scenes, although short, are excellently filmed.5. Relation to the first "Rambo"The character of Rambo was created in 1972 by writer David Morrell, as main hero of his debut novel "First blood". The plans to adapt this book for cinema began almost immediately but for a whole bunch of reasons nothing really happened for nine years. Then, the director of "Death Hunt" used some of the ideas of "First blood" in his own film (you will have to find by yourself which ones) and it finally pushed the producers of "Rambo" to finalise their own project, not willing to see other similar films spoiling the market. For that reason the first "Rambo" finally was made and released in 1982 - and its director took a little revenge on his competitors by literally copying a couple of scenes from "Death Hunt" into his own film...CONCLUSION: for all amateurs of action films, for all fans of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson and for all guys (this is REALLY NOT a chick flick) who like good cinema - this is a must! Go get it and enjoy watching it and re-watching it!

This film is great fun and one of Bronson's best. The performances of Bronson and Marvin are very good but the supporting cast varies considerably. Indeed, there are some cases of laughable over acting and outrageous dialogue occasionally. Mind you, this is an action film, not Shakespeare, and a few unintentional laughs add a little something.There are also some good examples of B movie tough guy dialogue, especially from Lee Marvin. I particularly liked one minor character's remark to Johnson while trying to get him to leave before the Mounties arrive. ''Your father never had nothing against running. I don't guess anyone really wanted to catch up to him anyway.'' Great stuff.I am familiar with the real story of Alfred Johnson - the 'Mad Trapper.' Although the historical account is fascinating, this film's plot bears little relation to it. However, the makers of this film have made the effort to ensure that costumes, guns and other props are true to the period. It's also good to see a 'western' set in Canada as there aren't many examples.As you'd expect from a film with Bronson and Marvin, the action scenes are great, though some are a little unrealistic. This is also well filmed with incredible scenery providing some fine backdrops now and then. Ultimately this is a great action film and well worth a look.