The Hunter (1980)

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writers:

Christopher Keane (book) and
Ralph Thorson (novel) ...

Release Date:

1 August 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Biography | Thriller

Tagline:

He's not as fast as he used to be... That's what makes him human. He's a bounty hunter... And that's what makes him dangerous.

Plot:

The story of professional bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson.

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | Skip Tracer | Fainting | Dynamite | Dysfunctional Marriage

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Ralph 'Papa' Thorson
Eli Wallach	...	Ritchie Blumenthal
Kathryn Harrold	...	Dotty
LeVar Burton	...	Tommy Price
Ben Johnson	...	Sheriff Strong
Richard Venture	...	Spota
Tracey Walter	...	Rocco Mason
Thomas Rosales Jr.	...	Bernardo (as Tom Rosales)
Teddy Wilson	...	Winston Blue (as Theodore Wilson)
Ray Bickel	...	Luke Branch
Bobby Bass	...	Matthew Branch
Karl Schueneman	...	Billie Joe
Margaret Mary O'Hara	...	Child on Subway (as Margaret O'Hara)
James Spinks	...	Angry Car Owner
Frank Delfino	...	Poker Player

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alexander Hamilton High School - 2955 S. Robertson Blvd., Palms District, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Rastar Pictures

Trivia:

When Steve McQueen arrived at one of locations used for the film, he was checked into a really nice hotel with all the amenities available at the time. When he found out that the crew was staying in a cheaper motel nearby, he checked out of the hotel and stayed in the motel with the crew.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the elevated train sequence, the villain "Bernardo" is shown outside the train car as "papa" is first shown on the roof of the train. In the next cut, he is still inside the train, about to exit.

Quotes:

Ralph 'Papa' Thorson: I don't know what you've been using, Mason, but it's not good for you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La balance (1982)

Soundtrack:

Una voce poco fà

Something for everybody

Let me start out by saying I loved this movie! At first I was biased towards this movie, but that quickly changed. I think the director's intention was to make this movie for everbody. For those of you who like action movies it has a grueling scene involving a subway, a parking garage and a child being held at gun point. For those of you who like romance it has a sub-plot involving a woman who is facing pregnancy issues with her husband. For those who like horror movies there is a wonderful end scene that scares the daylights out of anybody breathing! For those who likes comedy there are a few punchlines mixed in plus a scene involving a cornfield a car and a tractor.

Steve McQueen gives off a great performance as a "Dirty Harry" type Bounty Hunter. I have never in fact seen a S. McQueen movie however, upon seeing it, I thought this guy was great. I was a little disappointed to find out that was Steve McQueen's final movie, he could have done a lot more.

The rest of the cast gave out great performances as well, The actress playing Dotty was very beautiful and had so much presense, she did wonderful.

10/10 (And I am not always this nice)