I rented the DVD of "The Hunting Party" based on the cast. I found it to be an engrossing, if somewhat uneven, story of vengeance that stands the test of time. The version I watched, the MGM DVD issued in 2005, includes the scenes that IMDb lists as cut from earlier, European versions.
>>> Mild Spoiler follows <<<
Gene Hackman's character, Brandt, is obsessed with punishing the men who kidnapped his young wife. He is portrayed as a personable, wealthy rancher with a sadistic mean streak. He becomes so single-minded about getting payback that he destroys himself in the process. Oliver Reed, as Frank, is shown as an outlaw who does not kill unless necessary, and the struggle between these men forms the plot. We follow the story primarily from the Calder gang POV, so the audience shares their panic when the hunters attack. The loud report of the high-powered rifle shots becomes especially unnerving as the movie progresses.
There are a few scenes that help develop the characters of Calder and his men, such as the 'peaches' scene, which interjects a bit of levity into what is otherwise a dark, inexorable journey into oblivion. The ending, IMO, is a fitting climax to the story, and elevates the film above a rote Western shoot-em-up.
>>> Mild Spoiler follows <<<
Gene Hackman's character, Brandt, is obsessed with punishing the men who kidnapped his young wife. He is portrayed as a personable, wealthy rancher with a sadistic mean streak. He becomes so single-minded about getting payback that he destroys himself in the process. Oliver Reed, as Frank, is shown as an outlaw who does not kill unless necessary, and the struggle between these men forms the plot. We follow the story primarily from the Calder gang POV, so the audience shares their panic when the hunters attack. The loud report of the high-powered rifle shots becomes especially unnerving as the movie progresses.
There are a few scenes that help develop the characters of Calder and his men, such as the 'peaches' scene, which interjects a bit of levity into what is otherwise a dark, inexorable journey into oblivion. The ending, IMO, is a fitting climax to the story, and elevates the film above a rote Western shoot-em-up.