After his wife and daughter are accidentally killed in the middle of a gun battle between police and insurgents in Tehran, Ali (Rafi Pitts – starring and directing), frustrated by police ignorance, indifference and bureaucracy, takes up his hunting rifle and kills two policemen on a stretch of highway. He retreats into the woods, where he is pursued by two policeman with very different attitudes towards him and their own powers and responsibilities.
*****
The Hunter begins, continues and ends on an altogether bleak, sombre footing. There are few, if any, moments of levity, very little dialogue and we are presented with scene after scene of grey buildings, sparse apartments and Ali’s dour, grief-riddled face. Pitts’ performance is not without merit, but his demeanor is so depressed, so taciturn, that it becomes nigh on impossible to connect or engage with him as a character. The deaths of his wife and daughter happen off screen and all we see is a long shot of a sheet being pulled back at the morgue. It should be affecting, but it winds up being distancing, even tedious.
We know that Ali has been profoundly affected, why else would he take shots at policemen? Likewise we feel his exasperation at the uselessness of the police force, but we are just not given enough here to latch onto. What should have been a very moving story of loss, despair and waste, winds up as a very slow-moving waste of time. A number of plot synopses suggest that there is some sort of involved, engaging chase scene, but all we get are two cars driving in the fog, increasingly losing control at tight bends, followed by Ali running into the woods. The director clearly has good, ambitious intentions, but the sequence doesn’t come off particularly effectively. The next scene shows him being marched through the woods by the policemen, who are now obviously lost. Rather than making a bit of narrative meat out of the pursuit and capture, Pitts settles for the two policemen arguing over whether to take Ali into custody or execute him in the woods. Ali seems not to care, consumed by grief and anger and now resigned to his fate, whatever it may be.
It would of course be fatuous to suggest that all films must be action-packed and conform to Hollywood-ised ideals as to narrative arcs and beats of emotional engagement. But a film can be quiet, gradual, minimalist and affecting and still keep you engaged, which is something The Hunter sadly failed to do.
In search of something positive to say, The Hunter does at least give an insight into life in Tehran and the limitations of police effectiveness. Given all that is happening in the Middle East at the moment, this is valuable insight indeed and much to be cherished. If you fancy venturing outside your usual film-watching habits, then you can rent The Hunter from Lovefilm (or anywhere else) from 28th February.
[Rating:1.5/5]
Extras: Trailer, Interview with actor/director Rafi Pitts. Pitts’ revelations about the enormous obstacles posed to film-makers in Iran are fascinating and his candour and humility regarding his own acting performance are refreshing, to say the least. Pitt also places the film in its historical and political context within Iran, providing a helpful backdrop to the film. This 10 minute interview winds up being more interesting and engaging than the film itself.
[Rating:3/5]
