Death Hunt (1981)

Admirable film.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

DEATH HUNT sounds like one of those movies that never happened, but you sit around salivating over the possibilities of seeing the two uber he-men of the movies pitted against each other in a bruising frozen north adventure saga. Lucky for us, DEATH HUNT happened alright, and what a treat it is. Made just years before Marvin's death and before Bronson went all bad-movie belligerent on us, this rugged wilderness saga is a glorious last hurrah for its two revered stars.Loosely (and I mean LOOSELY) inspired by an event that occurred in the early 30s, Albert Johnson (Charles Bronson) is a reclusive and unsociable mountain man who incites a group of men after rescuing one of their dogs from a primitive dog fight. This leads to a chain of events that culminates with Royal Canadian Police Sgt. Edgar Millen (Lee Marvin) leading a posse to Johnson's cabin with the hope of bringing him in peacefully. Things don't go as planned, and after an intense shoot-out which leaves Johnson unscathed and several of Millen's men dead, the latter has no choice but to pursue his quarry across the unforgiving terrain of the Yukon. Along the way, more men show up to "aid" Millen's effort and the whole episode becomes a media circus as a reward is promised for the apprehension of the resourceful fugitive.How can one not be sold by the above synopsis? Reading about it makes me want to drool. This is a MAN'S movie in every sense of the word. You're going to want to do nothing but tear through bleeding-red steaks and guzzle mugs of bitter beer after watching this one. It's an action-filled testosterone fest led by the two guys who practically invented the words "tough guy".Bronson and Marvin crossed paths several times in the course of their long careers, the most prominent collaboration of course being THE DIRTY DOZEN (billing is reversed here.) This was the only time we got to see them in an adversarial relationship, and boy is it sweet. One of the huge pleasures of DEATH HUNT is seeing the mutual respect develop between its protagonists. Johnson and Millen are two men "above it all"; they understand each other on a deeper plane than those around them. Millen curses the mobs of men who show up to collect money. Though he's reluctant to pursue Johnson because he knows he's truly innocent, bringing him in becomes a personal matter of honor for him. "Johnson deserves me" he growls at one point.Framing all of this is a "new vs. old" conceit. The hard-drinking, rough-living Millen is joined by a young, uptight constable (Andrew Stevens) who's a stickler for the rules. Millen scoffs at his reliance upon a ham radio, and is contemptuous of the flying ace brought in to assist the manhunt. Millen believes that Johnson is too great and worthy a foe to be done in by what he feels is a cheap mechanization of the encroaching future; he espouses the purity of old-fashioned methods.Bronson and Marvin are old pros at this game, and their established screen personas are ideally suited to the material. Carl Weathers is on hand as Marvin's best friend. He's like a Greek chorus, functioning as a buffer between the clash of ideals epitomized by Marvin and Stevens.Hearty plaudits must be dispensed to the scenery, which is one of the main reasons to watch this movie. Shot on location in Alberta, Canada, the film is a visual banquet. I've gained a huge respect for outdoors movies shot on location, and Death Hunt benefits magnificently from this. I often caught myself rewinding or pausing just so I could revel in its majestic scenery of snow-blanketed mountains and trees. The fact that Bronson and Marvin are braving the harsh elements at their advanced ages is even more to their credit.I would have preferred to spend a bit more time with Bronson after the chase commences. Marvin mentions that they're tailing a man who knows how to live off the land, but we e don't really get much of that aside from one shot of Bronson trying unsuccessfully to ice fish with his hands.At the end of the day, DEATH HUNT isn't a masterpiece and it surely doesn't break any new ground. However, that's what makes it so comforting; as a valentine to its grizzled stars and an era for "pure" action-adventure films unmolested by CGI, it's damn near perfect. Lean, masculine, and featuring some exciting set-pieces, DEATH HUNT emerges a frigid winner.

Death Hunt is directed by Peter Hunt and written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor. It stars Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Carl Weathers, Ed Lauter, Andrew Stevens, Scott Hyland, Maury Chaykin and Angie Dickinson. Music is by Jerrold Immel and cinematography by James Devis.Film is loosely based on the real "Mad Trapper" man hunt that occurred in the Yukon Territory, Canada, 1931. Directed by the man who helmed On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and starring two of the iconic stars of The Dirty Dozen, it's no surprise to find Death Hunt full of machismo. What transpires is a two part movie, where time is afforded the set up for the first half, and the second half features the man hunt across the Yukon landscapes. Plot basically sees Bronson as nomadic loner Albert Johnson (The Mad Trapper of lore), who rescues a severely injured dog from a dog fight held by baying locals, much to their displeasure. Unwisely tracking Johnson down and taking him on, one of their number is shot and killed. So in come the legal guys, the RCMP, led by grizzled old pro Edgar Millen (Marvin), who desperately tries to keep things in order as the situation quickly spirals out of control. As Johnson takes to the snowy terrain, with Millen and co in pursuit, a respect begins to form between the two wise heads, with Millen very much aware that there will be only one winner in this hunt.So it goes, framed by lovely location photography, and with Bronson and Marvin doing what they do best, film plays out as a snowy chase and survive adventure. It's very much fictionalised from the real story, but some instances are real, including the incredible journey that Johnson undertook whilst fleeing his pursuers. Violence slots in and out of proceedings, as does moments of humour, and there's a nice grey area in the narrative that questions who you should be rooting for. In fact Marvin's characterisation of Millen is very enjoyable because he is irked by the cretins he finds himself hunting with. Some of the support players are under written, so therefore underused, while Dickinson pops in only briefly and purely as a bit of sexy relief from the machismo on show. All told it's a safe and enjoyable movie for fans of the stars and fans of outdoor action/adventure/thrillers. Kind of like First Blood meets The Fugitive who then take Seraphim Falls out for a drink. Only, remember, this was before all those and it has Bronson and Marvin in the locker! 7/10

**SPOILERS** Having saved a sled dog from being torn apart in a savage dog fight trapper Albert Johnson, Charles Bonson, get's involved in a shooting, in self-defense, that has the Royal Mounted Canadian Police sent to arrest him. The head of the Mounties in the district, the northern Yukon, Sgt.Edger Millen, Lee Marvin,is anything but interested in capturing Johnson feeling that he killed one of those trappers who were out to kill him. The group lead by Hazel, Ed Lauther, who's dog Johnson saved now were determined to track down and kill Johnson feeling that he's the notorious "Mad Trapper" that everyone in law enforcement north of the Mason Dixon line are looking for.Johnson a loner who wants nothing to do with the outside world ends up being chased up the Yukon wilderness as he tries to make it to safety in the inaccessible wilds of Alaska. It' during the chase that were introduced to the real "Mad Trapper" who Johnson is mistaken for. This lowlife, the "Mad Trapper", has a habit of murdering his unsuspecting victims and then pulling their gold teeth or fillings out of their mouths.Together on the hunt, for Johnson, with the no so interested Sgt. Millen is his new deputy the Dudley Do-Right-like Constable Alvin Adams, Andrew Stevens, and Millen's sidekick the former Negro League star pitcher Sundog or George Washington Lincoln Brown Played by Carl Weathers. Millen who's been cooped up in the Youkon for years has finally gotten romantically involved with an attractive American woman Vanessa McBride, Angie Dickerson, compared to the Eskimo hookers, that he calls buffalo women, that he's used to partying around with. Venessa who had come up north to pick up her dead husbands things, his watch and trapping license, fell heads over heels for the weather beaten and dog-faced Sgt. Millen who, with the exception of Constable Adams, was about the only normal and sane man in the area. That despite his constantly guzzling down bottle after bottle or rat gut moonshine and smoking notoriously smelly home made cigars. It also turned out that the frustrated Hazel, who had everything going wrong for him in the movie, looking to get some hot action for himself, in the freezing and unfriendly Yukon winter, took an enormous liking to the very cute and boyish Constable Adams. As expected Hazel ended up, after Adams cold cocked him, almost six feet under when he got a wee bit touchy feely with the young Mountie.****SPOILERS**** With all the efforts to catch him that included a WWI vintage airplane, Johnson did make it to the safety of the Alasken border but only after knocking off almost all those in Sgt. Millen's posse who were trying to both kill and capture him for a reward of $1,000. As we soon learned Johnson wasn't the ghoulish "Mad Trapper" that almost everyone accused him of being. It was both Sgt. Millen and Constable Adams who, with the help of Johnson, unwittingly tracked the "Mad Trapper" down and finally ended his reign of terror in the northern territories.

Two loggerheads; Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson find themselves at the opposite sides of the law (the Mountie and the trapper) in this bold, grizzled and expansive survival action trek through the rocky, snowy Canadian wilderness. I came away thinking that is was an entertaining, but largely forgettable outing that benefited by keeping the action sure-footed and grounded in brutally raw reality of slow-grinding progression. The story is supposedly based on a true story, but obviously some off it has been sensationalised for our hungry amusement. Some of the imagery (mainly the explosive cabin standoff) during the blood and gusts action set-pieces is very well pulled off by Peter Hunt's heavy-handed direction. Some of the bone rattling suspense towards the latter end (involving a ground chase and plane interference) is eerily constructed. I don't know, but there was some sort of grand and open feeling to it, but I believed tighter and claustrophobic handling would've been better suited to nail down a more intense and involving experience. The script is constant with tough dialogues, and the central (if basic and tidy) plot has some flesh hanging off it in the shape of outlining the methodical change (in how to get the job done) due to the times and just what is the real cost of life. Jerrold Immel's score is loudly multi-layered and James Devis' vividly shoots the dangerously enticing, but unforgiving location terrains. There's a great cast on hand. Marvin is robustly good and Bronson steadily sturdy. Carl Weathers adds some lightness and Andrew Stevens' uptight rookie Mountie is capable. Along for the ride are Len Lesser, Henry Beckman, William Sanderson and a wasted Angie Dickinson.