The Hunters (1996)

Oh my God. *blush blush blush* Rarely was an ostentative definition of a-m-a-t-e-u-r-i-s-m given. This movie is a national Shame.The material, the conception, the setting, it's all quite promising. A thriller with action and good deal of personal drama, all taking place in an exotic environment: the sparsely populated Swedish countryside of the forbidding Wild North. It really could have been something.It's all squandered with incredible ineptitude.Looking to the story into some detail, it's bad enough, but nevermind; the awkward way it's all worked out renders it irrelevant. The events don't f-l-o-w. Due to exceptionally bad baaad baaAAAaad directorship the plot hacks it's way forward like barely adjoining pieces of wood simply added along a row: no nuance allowed here. And all this awful overplay, the consistent destroyer of Swedish movie-making; they can't act so they SCREAM for compensation. And the dialog; a sequence of blatantly stupid l-i-n-e-s read by the "actors" like right out of a manuscript they saw for the first time; and the awkward pauses; and the stiff, unnatural poses and statures. Was it shot directly, with no repetition, no rehearsal and no retaking, engaging some no-paid amateur actors called in the very same morning, while the screenplay was still being scribbled down off the top of some guy's head...? If real people behaved like that, their company would sink through the floor with embarrassment. WHY did capable local stars like Helena Bergström and Rolf Lassgård stoop to this trash. It's inexplicable.

I dont know how many times i have seen this movie. Its so great. Its about a small society where everyone know each other and protect each other (in this case not a good thing). Its also about a will to do the right thing even if it will make you a loner and enemy to nearly everyone you know. And all this in a beautiful north of Sweden. This movie can be seen as a modern nordic Western movie.And eventhough someone wouldnt like the movie you can always listen to the beautiful movietheme who sets the sence of melancholy right from the start.

Sundvall has a good ear for dialogue, and uses his locations to great effect. One main problem with contemporary Swedish movies is the wooden dialogue, which is largely avoided here. The story holds together well in the beginning, but the naturalism and believability Sundvall builds up completely vanishes towards the end, which is unfortunate and ultimately makes this a rather average movie. The script has some irritating holes, like the subplot with Lassgårds love interest which is mysteriously left unresolved. The last act is also a indication of the current "Americanization" of Swedish cinema which is a rather sad phenomenom. We should make movies on our own terms and be wary of too many american influences, those estethics tend to become overblown, predictable and unrealistic when translated into Swedish.

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.