Although it would be easy to write The Hunted off as a simple chase film (I can see the pitch now: "It's First Blood married to Predator with a dose of The Fugitive", and in reality that is a pretty fair description) but it's straight forward manner lends a constant sense of urgency. Throughout this gory (yeah it's pretty graphic) cat and mouse thriller we are also given some real insight into Del Toro's character. Unwilling to make sweeping judgments about nearly any of the characters (Connie Nielsen's FBI agent is a bit stubborn and single minded and occasionally very careless in discharging her firearm in public, Tommy Lee Jones'survivalist trainer has a guilty conscious of his own and even Del Toro's transformation is understandable), the finale is exciting but emotionally complicated, even tragic. The camera work and editing are very effective and affective while not overwhelming the finished product with the typical Hollywood style over substance dilemma. Combined with some very strong performances by the leads THE HUNTED makes for a very intense and satisfying thriller experience.

As a big fan of both Benecio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones, I might be slightly biased, but that's only because I really enjoy seeing them act. That said, there are in fact movies with BDT in them that I don't care for, and the same goes for TLJ, so obviously there's more to it than that here. To me, this movie pays homage to, or at least was clearly inspired by, the first Predator movie and in ways also US Marshals which starred TLJ in a similar role. But what I really loved about The Hunted was the polarity of the characters; the coldness of Del Toro, with a pinch of humanity at the beginning, and the civility of Jones, while being detached from the world and conscious of his deeds. Action wise the movie is a little scarce, though the war-like prologue wasn't without it, just a different kind of violence. The climax was satisfying, albeit a little drawn out even for my taste; it was the cat and mouse second act that kept me going.

Spoilers!!!!!

Excellent film, it has its flaws, but I understood the message. The movie starts out without all the stupid credits at the beginning, but with a Johnny Cash Bible verse, with a few changes, because it is from the killers mind. Del Toro wants to die and as in the Bible when God tested Abraham about sacrificing his only son, Del toro wants to die and views Jones, as a father, and his actions calls Jones out. The movie starts in with a violent Kosvo operation, and this shows his battle stress, and what made him mentally ill. He explains this illness with his nonsense about so many chickens get slaughtered a year; meaning that his hunting skill has evolved him higher on the food chain, and he is acting out nature's plan, and Jones is the only one higher in this chain. The message in this film not about violence, but what it does too men's souls. Which is evident with Jones at the ending. 8/10