Silent Hunter (1995)

An Exercise In Nonsense

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Jim Paradine (O'Keeffe) is a Miami Cop on the Edge who is tired of the justice system continually releasing criminals back into society. He has a loving wife and daughter, and is about to take two weeks vacation. Suddenly a gang of thugs carjack the family, and end up killing Paradine's two beloved family members, and shooting him as well. Though left for dead, he does what would only be natural after an event like that, he moves to a snowy, rural location, grows a beard, and becomes a mountain man. When the same gang of baddies shows up in this cold, remote location and disrupts his life again, Paradine gets revenge one by one, and even Sheriff Mantee (Williamson) can't stop him. Will Paradine use his white coveralls while stalking through the snow to eliminate the criminal scum and become the ultimate SILENT HUNTER? Silent Hunter was directed by Fred, who gave himself a modest supporting role as the Sheriff. He graciously made Miles O'Keeffe the main hero, instead of himself. We're definitely fans of O'Keeffe, having enjoyed his performances in Cartel (1990) and Zero Tolerance (1994) - though not so much in Liberty & Bash (1989), but we'll let that one go because it wasn't his fault that movie sucked. When he grows his beard and long hair, it's surprising how much he looks like Ashton Kutcher. When the movie starts out, he's on the streets of Miami, battling it out with goons with outstanding hair. The next thing you know, we're in the midst of a snowy wilderness slog. The movie should have stayed with what was going on in the first third, where ideally Miles battles a bunch of meatheads until he finally gets revenge on his attackers. That's almost what happens in the wilderness, but it takes a patience-testing 97 minutes to get there. Silent Hunter, while not too bad, should have been shorter and snappier.While O'Keeffe is good, Fred is good in his limited screen time, and Jason Cavalier, who plays the role of the classic 90's psychotic, cliché-spouting baddie, Dewey, is good, truly the movie is stolen by one Dakota Horvath. Who is Dakota Horvath you ask? Well, he can only be described as a "pint-sized Sinatra" - a young tot who, dressed in a tuxedo, belts out a classic tune like a man four times his age. This occurs at Paradine's daughter Kathy's (Rafuls) birthday party. This is the sort of entertainment normally seen at a 12 year old girl's birthday party, right? Our hats go off to you, Dakota Horvath, wherever you are.So while the momentum slows during its overlong running time, Silent Hunter isn't without some redeeming qualities. Like the song, "You're A Long Way From Home", by Raymond Fabi and Mark Hillard, and interestingly there is a poster for the movie Scarecrows (1988) on someone's office wall. While it's not a showcase for on screen Fred, Silent Hunter makes a relatively decent one-time watch.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

The level of acting in the film about an ex-cop in the wilderness who only looks to kill the murderers of his family when the happen to stumble over him is atrocious. The action stunted. And the plot clichéd to no end. Fred Williamson is a cool actor, but as a director he just doesn't cut it.Avoid at all costs, the film is dreadful. This is my second time reviewing this as IMDb deletes stuff willy nilly now.Eye Candy: Lynneadams has a quick flash, and Annie Dufresne shows that fine Canadian bod of hers Where i saw it: Starz Mystery My Grade: D-

I just saw this movie on 12-24-01, I saw the video in stores, but never got around to renting it. Boy, did I make a mistake. I thought it was a pretty damn good movie. It's one ultimate revenge movie. It's about a guy and his family at the wrong place at the wrong time. These crooks get away from the cops and take control of this guys vehicle with his family still in it. After they get where they are safe they end up killing his wife and daughter, and they thought they killed him as well. But that was their mistake. Anyway life goes on, and he ends up in the far North, with no one around except his dog, and a handicapped radio man and his GrandDaughter. But for some odd reason these same bad people end up there in the next town over,( maybe it was FATE? )and rob a bank roll,and after the cops disable the getaway chopper, they go down just over the hill from this cabin. They kill the man in the wheel-chair hurt the hero and use the GrandDaughter to lead them out of this rugged area. Now that he remembers that these people are the same ones that killed his family, it Pay-Back time!. With some help from the big Fred Williamson ( also the Director of the movie ) they go after these weirdo's, and will not stop until the last one is toast. The Ending you will LOVE!!!!!!.

I'm sorry but the actors in this movie could have tried a little harder. The plot was... okay; I'll give it that. But, the acting was board stiff. Come on, it sounded like the actors were walk ins reading off of cue cards. The best actors were the banker and Eli, and what do movies like this do to good actors... well they kill them off. To top it off the director or whatever tried to keep the viewers attention with gratuitous and wanton violence. When I rented this movie it actually sounded like an okay action movie. I'm probably just over critical, but as a Christian and a movie goer I advise you to stay away from this ultra-violent joke-of a movie.