The Hunting Party (2007)

Here's a Better Late than Never review of "The Hunting Party" (R - 2007 - US)...Only the most ridiculous parts of the story are true!!Genre: Drama/AdventureMy Score: 6.1Cast=8 Acting=7 Plot=6 Ending=6 Story=7 Interest=5 Script=7 Pace=4 Mystery=5 Twist=6A young journalist, a seasoned cameraman and a discredited war correspondent embark on an unauthorized mission to find the No.1 war criminal in Bosnia. However, their extremely dangerous target decides to come after them. "Laugh at all their jokes...and whatever you do, don't stare at the midget." All in all a solid film. More drama than action, there are a lot of interesting points the movie was able to make. The only thing that bugged me was the pace...a lot of dialogue filled space with spurts of action. That's why it plays better as a Drama. This movie absolutely bombed in the theater, but it's not a bad watch as long as you have some interest in the cast or the storyline. Just don't pretend that you're with the CIA...

Simon Hunt (Richard Gere) and his cameraman Duckie (Terrence Howard) take great risks to report on wars around the world. In 1994 Bosnia, Simon blows up on the air after anchorman Franklin Harris (James Brolin) asks the wrong questions. Simon is fired while Duckie is promoted to be a cameraman back in America. Five years later, Duckie is following Franklin to cover the peace process in Sarajevo. They are joined by a network vice-president's son newbie Benjamin Strauss (Jesse Eisenberg). Duckie is surprised by Simon who is reduced to reporting for minor foreign news agencies. Simon has a lead on Serb war criminal Bogdanović with a $5 million bounty and convinces Duckie to join him. Strauss eagerly joins up on the hunting party.This is a brilliant black comedy and gonzo reporting thriller. The tone does go all over the place. To me, that's the charm of this movie. It feels a movie through the unstable mind of Simon Hunt. All three actors deliver the goods. There is also questions about the reality of the story. It's definitely not a balanced take on the Bosnian civil war. However it's not completely out of bounds. The wild back and forth between serious and comical adds to my appreciation of the surreality of a civil war.

I gave this movie 1/10, even though it's not that bad at all, and I know it. First of all, I want you to know something, before you think I'm just being unreal. I was too young to be emotionally involved with this war, while it lasted. Second, my grandmother was Croatian, my grandfather was Slovak and my father's parents are Serbian/Slovak, so I consider myself an 'ethnical chaos' and thus have no nationalistic views. That war was just wrong, and innocent men, women and children (on BOTH sides) died for someone's 'higher interests'. There is no truth. There ARE many, covered with blood, and they all deserve to be heard. Instead, I'm watching the same ol' scenario over the years - the 'all American' scenario. So, here comes the brave and daring Richard Gere, with the famous American justice seeking thirst (ha!) in his guts and Chuck Norris as his idol. He is on his way to get his revenge (and, just for the sake of it, his career back) over a war criminal responsible for massacre over an entire Muslim village (and not just one), and Gere's sweetheart who was (oh, boy, was this unexpected...) pregnant with his child. Even if this movie brings up a good point, it is well known a long time ago. Even if it was made for good causes, they are pushed aside by the anger that every Balkan inhabitant feels when he sees a trailer about an upcoming blockbuster with the one and only (american) peacemakers. I am so sick of it! And I'm sure many decent Americans are sick of it as well!Of course, no one forced me to watch it, my bad... I can promise you one - it won't happen again.

I watched this movie yesterday and I'm still having stomach ache, because of it. This is a way to far from the worst movie I've ever seen, but may be the racist movie of the decade. Once again, the Serbs are filmed as bloody, filthy, freaky bustards that only live for killing and raping. This is the worst prejudice of one nation that is ever filmed on the movie screen! I write this review after Radovan Karadzic is already imprisoned in Hague tribunal. So they finally get him... but who arrested him??? Was it American journalists or CIA or Interpol? NO! Serbs arrested him and took him to justice, without US to interfere. OK, a long time passed before Karadzic was arrested, but better now than never.And what about the end of the movie? What kind of human-beings leave a man suspected for war-crimes ( still not convicted), without a fair trial or any trial? Is that an American justice? No human rights for all... Should we people make our own law and judgements or leave it to courts? This movie is filled with prejudice, hate, and misunderstandings. So, don't waste your time watching it.