Coventry Review of Death Hunt

Death Hunt (1981)

Nothing can stop Charlie Bronson! Not bullets, not the cold, not even Lee Marvin!

[6/10 · 10 January 2010]

"Death Hunt" is based on a true story that I've never heard or read about before, so I will further refrain from commenting on how inaccurate the plot is or how badly the makers altered the truth for commercial purposes. The only thing I saw was an action/adventure movie in which my idol Charles Bronson is once again a lone hero fighting off a bunch of vicious men who are after him for unjust reasons. Charlie plays the massively skilled and seasoned Canadian Mountain trapper Albert Johnson; a respectable man who minds his own business and doesn't look for trouble anywhere. After a banal incident with some fellow Mounties, he's wrongfully accused of being the notorious "Mad Trapper"; a psychopath who prowls the mountains and allegedly kills people for the gold in their teeth. A second confrontation with the bloodthirsty Mounties generates a relentless manhunt through the ice-cold and devastating Canadian landscape. The fatigue Sergeant Edgar Millen from the Royal Canadian Mountain Police leads the hunt, though merely to prevent the others from blatantly executing Albert Johnson, as he still believes the man is innocent. In spite of the terrific ensemble cast and the most breathtaking filming locations there are to be found on this planet, "Death Hunt" sadly felt somewhat like a disappointing and routine action movie. In between the shootout sequences, which are admittedly very explicit and grim, there are overlong boring and pointless parts with nothing going on except the showing of beautiful snowy Canadian mountain scenery. Director Peter Hunt (I guess with a name like his you have to direct this movie) unsuccessfully tries to fill up these parts with irrelevant sub plots, like the appearance of the real Mad Trapper and the hostile competition within the RCMP. There even is a seriously strange and unfitting gay-love interlude that I fail to see the purpose of. Charles Bronson's acting relies on his charisma instead of on lines, as usual, and Lee Marvin looks as fatigue and fed up with life as his character. The best performances come from the supportive cast, including Carl Weathers ("Rocky"), Adrew Stevens ("The Fury") and Ed Lauter ("The Longest Yard"). Other reviewers already righteously pointed out the resemblance between this film and the earlier Charles Bronson film "Chato's Land". Both movie feature our testosterone-packed hero as a lone and introvert warrior versus suckers stupid enough to challenge him on his own turf. A vengeful bare-chested Apache in one film, a warmly dressed up Canadian Mountie in the other. Now who says Charlie isn't a versatile actor, ha!