The Hunters (1996)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Fantastic!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

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

The movie makes brilliant use of one the screenplays cliché:the man who left the small town to become a cop (with a not-so-brilliant career)and comes back to find a brother ,apparently happy to meet him again and a secret (there's a bit of melodrama thrown in a solid thriller for good measure). Leif,the kid brother has a warm manner at first ;you should see him go through his mail ,cause he is looking for a wife :but he then appears rather smug and despising:" they are impressed when they learn I'm part of the Church choir".And as the plot thickens ,his behavior becomes more and more suspect and we finally see him as he is really like :an unscrupulous coward ,who is the principal responsible for a gang rape ,and the death of poor Owe , surrounded by a bunch of hateful poachers .The poacher is rarely an important character in a movie ;in this one,they look more like paramilitaries,it's not even sure some of them realize that hunting might be murder (one of them tries to give himself up:but he won't because he would not be virile) There are enough scenes to satisfy a thriller buff :the place where the poachers hide their big game,and Erik spying on them ;the car in the lake ,which will remind you of "psycho" ;the Russian woman trying to escape;Owe ,going "hunting" with the big boys :this latter scene and many more show an unusual sense of space :the filming on location is impressive .I'm looking forward to watching the sequel to "Jagarna" .

This is a great movie about how it can be in the north of Sweden, Norrland. The story is about a police, played by Rolf Lassgård, returning to Norrland after have lived and worked in Stockholm, the capitol of Sweden. Soon after his return he starts a investigation about illegal hunting in the area. This leads to lots of conflicts with the people in the area.....

Sundvall has made an intense movie about illegal hunting. It's loaded with tense and excitement. Actually, it's about people living in a desolated place, not wanting to play with the rules of the community. We haven't seen such an intense movie in Sweden for at least a decade.

This movie is very believable and uncomfortably so. A small and peaceful society being shattered by some very violent deaths. Apparent random murders that they all could have committed. I couldn't help thinking of Jon Voigt in Deliverance, when following Erik Bäckström's fight, first for justice later for his own safety.This thriller is highly recommended, except if you live in a small and remote hunter's community :-). It feeds on the tradition born from the books of writers Wahlöö & Sjöwall 30 years ago.