"If you cross this line, you'd better be willing to kill me," says elite forces operative Aaron Hallam to his trainer L.T. Bonham in director William Friedkin's, "The Hunted." This is a clich?(c)d line that serves as a trailer sound byte, but marks "The Hunted" as a classic "chase" film. It's a film made for a maturing mainstream.
After returning from duty in Kosovo, Hallam (Benicio Del Torio) goes on a rampage, brutally killing hunters on two separate occasions. Apparently, Hallam killed the hunters, who were armed with rifles and high power scopes, using nothing more than a single knife. L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones), Hallam's former trainer, is called in to help the FBI solve the case and ultimately capture Hallam.
The story becomes more complex as the Secret Service intercedes in the FBI's investigation stating that Hallam is technically MIA, and that his status must remain as such for the purpose of confidentiality.
Jones gives an impressive performance as L.T. Bonham, an elite forces drill sergeant and assistant to the FBI, called in to capture a man whom only he can understand. Some might comment that he should be good at this role as he has played it many times before in movies such as "The Fugitive" and "U.S. Marshals."
Bonham is a man who has made a point to sequester himself from society and from the memory of his work. He shows respect for nature and abhorrence for places that lack it. In this respect he is like Hallam. In and around his home in British Colombia he's calm and at peace, but as he is placed back into a more technological, urban atmosphere he becomes anxious. Jones' body language reports tension with finger-tapping, constant clenching and relaxing of his fists and similar fidgets. In addition, every line he says is as brief as possible while still maintaining coherence. As a result, many lines take a moment to sink in as the conversations take turns very quickly.
Del Toro embodies his character to a "T." Tall, dark and deadly, Hallam is an intimidating master of murder and stealth. With background information on Hallam's time in Kosovo provided through the film's initial scenes, the viewer is able to gain understanding for the character's apparent disregard for those who would do harm to the helpless.
As the plot unfolds, it becomes difficult to decide who is at fault for Hallam's killings: him, or the government that trained him. The film discusses conspiracy theories based on the idea of men trained to kill for the government and then losing their minds as a result of their actions, saying that once they lose their minds these men are disposed of by the government in a manner of different ways. For those interested in more about this idea, Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen's book "The 60 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time" describes this phenomenon at length.
One shortcoming of the film is the fact that there are many facets of the two main characters that are not fully explored. Friedkin apparently decided not to explain in full why it is that Hallam grew to despise man and his treatment of animals. Statements like "Did you know six billion chickens are going to be killed in American slaughterhouses this year," serve to only partly educate the viewer as to the nature of his resentment. Also, there are parts of the film that hint at an obsession with Bonham on the part of Hallam, such as when the FBI finds unsent letters written from the student to the teacher. In addition, at only 90 minutes, the film could stand to have further development of these issues.
From a critical standpoint the fight scenes are the finest points of the film. Lacking music, they emphasize the sounds of battle and focus the viewer's attention on the unique fighting style.
Despite its faults, "The Hunted" is an especially entertaining film, feeding any member of the male gender's lust for hand-to-hand combat and respectful, yet combative dialogues.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
