This western is from the same crop as Peckinpah's efforts, most notably "The Wild Bunch": extreme violence, tough versus tough, and some important themes brought in between.
The "Hunting Party" of the title is led by coward rancher Brandt (Gene Hackman), who along with his gang, track down the dangerous bandit Frank Calder (Oliver Reed), kidnapper of Brandt's wife (Candice Bergen). Calder uses her talents as teacher so she can teach him how to read - something he never knew how to - in order to read maps and stuff for future robberies. But it seems that Calder and Brandt's wife are getting well together, better than what she used to had with her possessive husband. Brandt's reckless hunt to Calder (who has a bigger group of men) has one point in his favor: a collection of special rifles that can shoot to long distances, an unseen invention at the time, and unknown to Frank and his pals.
No heroes, no villains. All roles are reversed in the usual sense of what we know about westerns, they're not what they appear, right from scene one, a comparison between Calder and Brandt in the way handle situations: Brandt being violent with his wife during sex intercut with images of Calder butchering a cow. In terms of favoritism, we should root for Hackman's character because his woman was stolen and felt for the "bad guy"; but no, he reveals to be a more repulsive and ignorant character than the ever changing bandit, who has traces of humanity at moment goes by. His kidnap of the teacher might be his way to be a better man, someone who wants to get out of his current poor status. Like that Wilde quote: "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." But Brandt was never a saint!
The contrast between both men is very interesting to follow, just as much as in following the powerful chain between them, the headstrong teacher Melissa, one of Bergen's best and most difficult roles. She doesn't understand why she's there, and even if so, she always tries to escape Calder and return to her abusive husband, confusing the idea of what care really is. But her trust in Calder comes when he protects her against the guys in his group who try to abuse her; and when he acts like them, she relents a bit because it's nothing compared to what she had with Brandt. Yes, way before than the whole controversy involving "Straw Dogs" infamous scene.
The movie feels staggered for a long time, the plot takes a whole while to reach its best and most exciting parts - the hunting - but we can't deny that Don Medford made an impressive picture, filled with action, gory slow-motion shootouts like Mr. Sam P., with brief humored scenes (all effective) and greatly acted by Reed, Hackman, Mitchell Ryan and Bergen. I only disliked the way the script treated the female character during the first half hour, only making Mellisa as an object at almost all scenes, but later on she grows a lot and stands her ground with firmness.
Finally, a western with some deep thoughts. 7/10
The "Hunting Party" of the title is led by coward rancher Brandt (Gene Hackman), who along with his gang, track down the dangerous bandit Frank Calder (Oliver Reed), kidnapper of Brandt's wife (Candice Bergen). Calder uses her talents as teacher so she can teach him how to read - something he never knew how to - in order to read maps and stuff for future robberies. But it seems that Calder and Brandt's wife are getting well together, better than what she used to had with her possessive husband. Brandt's reckless hunt to Calder (who has a bigger group of men) has one point in his favor: a collection of special rifles that can shoot to long distances, an unseen invention at the time, and unknown to Frank and his pals.
No heroes, no villains. All roles are reversed in the usual sense of what we know about westerns, they're not what they appear, right from scene one, a comparison between Calder and Brandt in the way handle situations: Brandt being violent with his wife during sex intercut with images of Calder butchering a cow. In terms of favoritism, we should root for Hackman's character because his woman was stolen and felt for the "bad guy"; but no, he reveals to be a more repulsive and ignorant character than the ever changing bandit, who has traces of humanity at moment goes by. His kidnap of the teacher might be his way to be a better man, someone who wants to get out of his current poor status. Like that Wilde quote: "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." But Brandt was never a saint!
The contrast between both men is very interesting to follow, just as much as in following the powerful chain between them, the headstrong teacher Melissa, one of Bergen's best and most difficult roles. She doesn't understand why she's there, and even if so, she always tries to escape Calder and return to her abusive husband, confusing the idea of what care really is. But her trust in Calder comes when he protects her against the guys in his group who try to abuse her; and when he acts like them, she relents a bit because it's nothing compared to what she had with Brandt. Yes, way before than the whole controversy involving "Straw Dogs" infamous scene.
The movie feels staggered for a long time, the plot takes a whole while to reach its best and most exciting parts - the hunting - but we can't deny that Don Medford made an impressive picture, filled with action, gory slow-motion shootouts like Mr. Sam P., with brief humored scenes (all effective) and greatly acted by Reed, Hackman, Mitchell Ryan and Bergen. I only disliked the way the script treated the female character during the first half hour, only making Mellisa as an object at almost all scenes, but later on she grows a lot and stands her ground with firmness.
Finally, a western with some deep thoughts. 7/10