"The Hunter" is no masterpiece, certainly, and not on a par with Steve McQueen's classics from the 1960's. But it did showcase a looser, more easy going McQueen and showed a direction he might have gone further in during the 1980's had he lived. Certainly its no worse than a lot of the films Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds were churning out in this time period. I enjoyed the movie, its certainly watchable, but it is hampered by what seems like a made-for-TV look and budget at times (Steve McQueen couldn't get a bigger budget??). The musical score sucks in the way many 70's and 80's films did, and there's one howlingly ludicrous classroom scene featuring Kathryn Harrold as McQueen's girlfriend. But its all about McQueen in his final performance really. Fortunately he looks pretty good in this film, at least better than he did in "Tom Horn" and "An Enemy of the People" and he also looks like he was having a pretty good time. It was also nice to see him in his final film go full-circle playing a modern equivalent to his break-through role as a bounty hunter in "Wanted:Dead or Alive", which was where I first became a fan of McQueen's. He was a true movie star and a man's man and I still miss him.

I saw this film several times as a kid and really enjoyed it--seeing it as a 13 year old, it was my introduction to Steve McQueen. Watching it recently as an adult, I still find it amusing. As another reviewer said, it is Steve McQueen in self-deprecation mode. He is relaxed and amusing. And has some great one-liners. Example--

LeVar Burton: "What's that, Papa?" Steve McQueen: "Stun gun." LeVar Burton: "What does it do?" McQueen: "Ruin your day."

McQueen is almost child-like in this movie. The way he interacts with Kathryn Harold, and the thugs he goes after. But he's still the McQueen we know and love when he confronts the Texas ranger played by Ben Johnson. See this movie--it's got some great humor and stunts. The music is a bit cheesy and the story is rather episodic, but still a fun night at the movies.

While this is an enjoyable Film, It suffers from an inability to stick to one fprm: comical with slapstick one moment then deadly serious the next, then filled with action and nonstop violence. It's Steve McQueen's last film, a good one for him, playing a bounty hunter who finds that he is a subject of revenge by someone he won setup who now wants him dead and will stop at nothing when it comes to harassing him before he makes his move. McQueen's a good guy, arresting a twenty-something charming young black man, LeVar Burton, then arranging for his release and hiring him to do chores around the house to give him a new start. Girlfriend Kathryn harrold is pregnant with their child but upset by all the kinds of danger he always ends up in, and wants to leave him after she is confronted by the stalker outside her classroom. Who can blame her with a new baby on the way?

With Eli Wallach as his boss and Tracey Walter as the crazy stalker, there's also Ben Johnson and Richard Venture. Along the way, there are some over the top gay references, a chase in a cornfield with McQueen actually in a large reaping machine chasing them being chased by some criminals, and later, a chase under an elevated Subway in Chicago. Burton is more or less just there for comic relief, being Mr. Fix it and destroying everything he touches.

In spite of the weaknesses and the variety of moods, the film is very entertaining and never slows down at all. Great Chicago locations help as well, and Walter's harassment of Harrold is quite frightening. McQueen does look frail but he gives his all, on the scene all the elevated Subway is filled with excitement especially when McQueen gets on the top of the speeding train car. Pretty formula stuff but definitely a crowd-pleaser that would require a lot of popcorn.