The Hunter's Prayer (2017) User Reviews

Good Thriller

[rutzelb · 7/10 · 14 August 2017]

Lucas (Sam Worthington) is an Assassin hired to kill Ella (Odeya Rush) whose father stole money from employer Richard Addison (Allen Leech). Problem is Lucas cannot do it. Now he and Ella are on the run from other Assassins trying to get the job done, which now also includes Lucas. This can't be good.

This is a surprisingly good thriller. We see that Addison has Lucas' family in his gun sights to insure Lucas does the job. Lucas knows this but still cannot kill Ella. Ella learns to trust Lucas until she learns that Lucas's job is to kill her. Lucas forces Ella to keep running from those out to kill them both. There is a good car chase and shootouts all over the place. Added to all this we discover that Lucas is a Junkie and begins to reflect on his life when Ella asks him his name and, "are you a diabetic?"

Since the money Ella's father stole went into Ella's slush fund at school we see that Ella needs to be kept alive as only she knows the password to get into that account, but apparently the other Assassins weren't given that word yet.

We like the bonding between Lucas and Ella and wish there were more dialogues between them.

Notable: Amy Landecker as Banks, an FBI agent on Richard Addison's payroll.

All in all a good thriller, predictable yes, but we knew this going in, right? It's the telling of the story that holds us. See? (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: Not really when Lucas has his pants down to give himself a shot. Language: Yes, mostly in the beginning then it falls off.

I can't overly recommend it, but it is a decent action flick.

[Hellmant · 7/10 · 23 August 2017]

'THE HUNTER'S PRAYER': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

The new action thriller starring Sam Worthington as a hit-man who ends up helping the young woman that he was supposed to kill. It was directed by Jonathan Mostow (who's also helmed such other hit action flicks as 'U571', 'BREAKDOWN', 'TERMINATOR 3' and 'SURROGATES'), and it was written by Paul Leyden and Oren Moverman (the duo also co-wrote 'SURROGATES', 'TERMINATOR 3' and 'TERMINATOR SALVATION', also starring Worthington). The script is based on the 2004 novel 'For the Dogs', by Kevin Wignall. It costars Odeya Rush, Allen Leech and Amy Landecker. The film has received mixed (to negative) reviews from critics, and it was also only released on VOD and in limited indie theaters at the Box Office. I found it to be pretty entertaining.

Lucas (Worthington) is a loner assassin with a serious drug addiction problem. He's hired to kill a young woman, named Ella (Rush), but when he needs to pull the trigger, he can't do it. Instead Lucas ends up reluctantly helping the girl, by defending her from the very same people that hired him to kill her. By doing so, he also makes himself a target of his former employers. When Ella realizes her parents were killed by Lucas's former employer, Richard Addison (Leech), she attempts to hire Lucas to kill Addison for revenge.

I'd say the film is similar in quality to Mostow's other movies, I really like 'TERMINATOR 3' though. It's a fun action film for the most part, nothing too memorable (or special), but it is entertaining. I think Worthington makes an awesome action hero too, and I'd really like to see him make more movies like this. I can't overly recommend it, but it is a decent action flick.

Watch an episode of our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/KR0HDeT91m0

Nothing Terribly New Here

[larrys3 · 6/10 · 13 August 2017]

We've seen similar themes many times over in movies through the years. Here Sam Worthington portrays Lucas, a hired assassin and drug addict who can't bring himself to kill his next assignment, who's the 16-year-old Ella, played by Odeya Rush. Of course, this makes the man who hired Lucas (Allen Leech) very unhappy and so Lucas and Ella must try and escape through Europe from those killers who want to eliminate them.

There's plenty of wooden dialogue and formulaic plot elements here. However on the positive side I was interested enough in the film to want to see how it would all turn out, and it does present its viewers with quite the poignant ending.

Overall, nothing really new here for this genre, but the pacing kept me engaged throughout.

Good story

[Gordon-11 · 15 September 2017]

This film tells the story of an assassin who is hired by a rich tycoon to kill a teenage girl studying in the Switzerland. He finds himself unable to kill the girl, and they both become targets for assassination. They have to do everything in order to survive.

"The Hunter's Prayer" has a thrilling story, and more importantly a story that makes you care about what happens to the characters. The teenage girl gets into a perilous situation, and I really feel for her for not knowing who to trust. The assassin, on the other hand, is also sympathetic. He is a hybrid of a villain and a hero, making him likable. I find this film enjoyable.

Fun movie for kill time

[phanthinga · 6/10 · 9 June 2017]

The Hunter's Prayer is just a 90min average action thriller flick that you probably didn't know being played at theater then in a cold boring day you decide to check it out on Netflix and not remember a damn thing the next day.It nice to look at and it not taken itself too seriously(Thank god for that)other than that the plot is genetic,the characters is boring with no redemption quality due to the lead female actor Odeya Rush with her wooden acting that so painful to watch but at least Sam Worthington is very convincing with the junkie hit man role and deliver some good action scene but despite being a R rated movie most of the action scene is very PG-13ish.

A Pretty Standard Hunter Being Hunted Movie

[MichaelNontonMulu · 6/10 · 14 August 2017]

As a movie that was not categorized as summer blockbuster Hollywood movie, we got we came for. The movie did not have large special effects, but the action sequence including the car chase and the hand to hand combat were actually pretty exciting. I loved and enjoyed how the sound effects were put to good use. The guns blazing sound and those car chases noise (including some sudden shocking effects like car being hit and so on) were the best parts of the movie.

The story seemed to be pretty standard for this kind of movie. It had the element of anti-hero in it, where our protagonist was actually an assassin/hit-man and also had a "father/daughter" relationship, despite they were not really father and daughter. I understand that this movie was adapted from a novel titled For the Dogs written by Kevin Wignall which was considered very good by a lot of critics. This was usually the case for a novel to be adapted into a movie. However, it would seem that the movie adaptation was not garnering the same views by lots of critics.

As an action thriller movie, it was actually good in terms of the actions. However, for me personally, I think the actions could have been given a bit more. There were times when it was in the more dramatic moments, the pace would become slow (which was actually in contradiction to the novel which according to critic was a fast-paced page-turner). Nevertheless, due to the good actions sequence, I was pretty pleased with the movie. Just a reminder though that the killings were pretty brutal, so best not to be seen by children. I could not say that this was a bad movie, but neither could I say that this is a very good movie. Overall it was pretty standard.

On the characterization, I think Odeya Rush was pretty good playing damsel in distress (My wife and I kept on thinking that she looked like a younger Mila Kunis). But this time Sam Worthington (apart from the actions part) was not too memorable. Even worse was Allen Leech who seemed out of place as the main villain. I think Jonathan Mostow as the director was not able to bring out the best from the actors and even got one rather illogical scene before the climax. It was a pity though since he actually got quite a good portfolio of commercially successful movies such as U-571, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines or The Surrogates.

So if you are a fan of Sam Worthington and wanted to see him as a lead character in an action thriller movie, then this could make you happy. Now if you want to see a not-so-fast paced action movie and just enough of action sequences through out the movie, with "father/daughter" relationship, then this probably would be a good choice. But if you are looking for a full blown action movie, or even a very meaningful action thriller movie, then it would be better if you look elsewhere.

For my complete review, pls have a look at michaelnontonmulu.blogspot.co.id

Okey movie if you can handle a kid that is a complete moron...

[trnod · 4/10 · 21 February 2019]

I could've given this movie 1 or 2 more stars. Sam Worthington does a good job. Problem is that the girl being so idiotic that I couldn't give the movie more then a 5. I know that's the writers fault and not hers.. Her acting was actually good.

Moderately watchable

[phd_travel · 6/10 · 15 June 2017]

For some reason this thriller is fairly involving and you want to see what happens - but it isn't a must watch.

Sam Worthington is the assassin turned protector and he has a rather inexpressive face. Bland and emotionless. Don't think he conveyed a junkie convincingly. His accent is hard to understand.

Odeya Rush reminds of a younger Mila Kunis - quite appealing.

The actor Allen Leech who plays the villain acted as the chauffeur Tom from Downton Abbey. He isn't convincing - can't help thinking of him as the help of the bad guy rather than the evil bad guy.

The chase via car and train etc through a rather bleak wintry Europe is unnecessarily unattractive..

Very average

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 30 March 2019]

THE HUNTER'S PRAYER is very much an average kind of thriller: made with an average budget, an average script, and average direction from Jonathan Mostow, who once upon a time made some very entertaining movies in the form of BREAKDOWN and TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES. This one features a likeable Sam Worthington as an assassin who can't carry out his latest job and instead goes on the run with his intended victim. Yeah, it's that predictable, and plays out like a low-rent BOURNE copy for the most part: some shooting, some fights, lots of familiarity. You'll see plenty worse and you'll also see plenty better.

USA/Spain/Germany co-production with action-packed ,thrills , suspense , tension and intrigue from start to finish

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 12 July 2019]

Sam Worthington as a cold , druggie assassin who protects a young woman gives a fresh impersonation , and along the way facing off risks , mobsters and a lot of killer henchmen . It is developed in fast movement , well paced and stunningly shot . This is a turbo charged thrill ride through various European countries , full of the hairpin twists and turns and dangerous curves . Set in Swtizerland , and England ,this nail-biting thriller focuses on Lucas, (Sam Worthington) , a loner killer , hired to murder a young girl , sixteen-year-old Ella, (Odeya Rush) whose life takes a tailspin . Now both are marked for death and forced to form an uneasy alliance. Mercilessly chased across Europe, their only hope for survival is to expose those responsible for cruelly murdering her family and bring them to justice. On a train Lucas meets an old friend called Dani (Verónica Echegui) who helps and heals him a wound . Nowadays , the former killer enters into a chess game with a mysterious enemy (Allen Leech) and his hoodlums who are seeking vengeance against Lucas. As Lucas is forced to take matters into his own hands when the girl is in death danger .

This moving , high octane thriller displays suspense , tension , non-stop action , and lots of violence and killings . Chases galore , including breathtaking pursuits , crashes , crossfire , and destruction , though it has some unrealistic scenes , too . In addition , overwhelming fights with violent knocks , slaps , hits and kick-ass . Impressive fights and chases are made by means of expert stunts and computer generator special effects . Starring Sam Worthington is acceptable as action hero who is both , an assassin and a junkie , he is a brave man fighting competently against enemies , when he can't bring himself to pull the trigger the plan falls apart, setting in motion a twisted game of cat and mouse . This stirring film contains action , violence , thrills , suspense and plot twists . It is a stylish , complex movie driven by two main characters , dealing with a killer and a young woman who become involved in dangerous and deadly situations . Formula thriller filled with gritty intrigue , crisply edition , tension , suspenseful and loads of violence . It is a flick of interwoven lives structured in two protagonists , crossed by a web of suspense that is resolved in the last story in a surprising finale . This serious and truly original film with groundbreaking narrative results to be a fantastically intriguing story of violence , deceiving and killing , being pretty well done , swiftly paced and including a twisted screenplay . Decent thriller in which nothing is the way it seems , the atmosphere is already tense and the twists and turns are the best part of this movie . An attractive thriller that it will have you on the edge-of-your-seat in which an assassin helps a young woman avenge the death of her family.

This frenetic movie was lavishly produced by producers James Costas , Juan Antonio García Peredo , Cristopher Milburn , David Minkowski and executive producer Jonathan Mostow himself . Moving and thrilling soundtrack by Federico Jusid that elevates the emotion and the intensity of the scenes to new heights . Good production design , and nice cinematography by José David Montero shot on location in Hungary , Thornwick Bay, Flamborough, Leeds, West Yorkshire, Salt's Mill, Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK (Devonshire Hall) ,Allerton Mauleverer, North Yorkshire (Allerton Castle) ,Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, England ,Bradford, West Yorkshire, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UKUK ,Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria. The picture achieved limited success and considered to be one of the best thrillers of the year in which you'll leave the cinema shaken and moved . The motion picture was well directed by Jonathan Mostow has made big boxoffice hits such as : U 571 , Surrogates ,Breakdown and Terminator 3 . Rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Better than avergae thriller .

Cliched garbage

[targa9 · 3/10 · 27 October 2019]

Don't trust the good reviews here. Despite a decent director, the writing and plot is terrible. The villain is cartoonish. The girl keeps doing stupid things nobody intelligent would do. There's a lot of mumbling and quiet, "meaningful" scenes that are meaningless. Sam Worthington does a fine job with what he has. Dialog is almost cringe-level cliche.

It did move apace, however (in general), and so it wasn't like some college arthouse piece. But it was still garbage. After all these years making movies about strong men rescuing little girls, you'd think they'd come up with something new or edgy or at least intelligent, like they actually KNEW the film The Professional was made once. But no, the film is a predictable and polished turd wrapped up in a sentimental bow at the end. Skip it.

An Excellent Thriller.

[HealthyLove · 10/10 · 5 June 2017]

The Hunter's Prayer is a British-American action thriller film directed by Jonathan Mostow, based on Kevin Wignall's novel "For the Dogs." "The Hunter's Prayer" follows Lucas (Worthington), a solitary assassin, hired to kill a young woman, Ella, (Rush), who is unaware that her family's questionable business dealings have cost them their lives. However, when Lucas can't bring himself to pull the trigger, the two form a bond and escape across Europe together, hunted by those responsible for her family's murder.

Rated R (for violence, drug use and language).

This Film Is Absolutely An Excellent Thriller For All The Family. Parents Should Watch It With Their Children,there is no sex at all and the violence is much better than that of Abu Ghraib Prison Torture In Iraq .

Overall Good, But Needed More

[callahan-92815 · 6/10 · 16 December 2021]

I stumbled across this movie while exploring Sam Worthington's filmography after seeing another one of his movies. Overall I really enjoyed it because I really enjoy anti-hero characters (Mike Sullivan in "Road to Perdition", for example). It adds to the complexity of the situation and the human condition. "Bad guy turned (almost) good guy" sort of thing is always interesting, as are stories about guys doing bad things for good reasons.

That said, I think this movie should've been flushed out a little more. I wanted more backstory. I didn't feel like we got enough information about the characters themselves. This is a good movie to watch on a lazy day if you're craving some good action, but not too much else. I liked it and will watch it again, most likely, because I'm easy to please and I really like Worthington, who was GREAT in it. I just wanted more!

my notes

[FeastMode · 4/10 · 26 July 2019]

Eh. started out with a good action sequence that got me excited, then nothing noteworthy after that. just bland action, but a good amount of it. some dumb stuff, and a useless villain. overall forgettable (1 viewing)

Sam Worthington

[Kirpianuscus · 25 January 2019]

It is his film. Scene by scene. Cliche by cliche. An action film like many others, mixing the vulnerable girl, hunted by bad guy for a sin of her father, a lonely sentimental killer protecting her, fights, violence, drugs. The worse part is the dialogue. The best - the effort to be more than a simplistic action-thriller, with not so bad end. A film about honor and fatherhood who escapes to the temptation to be a simple sketch but proposing few scenes of old fashion . With a decent result.

Something's Missing

[mariusbv-35612 · 7/10 · 30 May 2021]

The movie is not boring and it's decent for a thriller. However, I feel like there's something missing. Maybe I'm too old but a while ago, film makers could add that magic ingredient that makes a movie not seem cheap.

Great acting, ethical dilemmas and a nice script even a bit common. Good recommendation for its genre.

[Mivas_Greece · 6/10 · 27 March 2021]

Crime/action movie. A paid killer sees that his next target is a young girl, the daughter of a target of his boss. He cannot kill her and eventually undertakes to flee and protect her, making them both targets. Sam Worthington, a very good actor, perfectly attributes the inner strife of a paid murderer and protector like a father, being himself the father of a daughter. The film has enough suspense up to a point where it gradually drops pace unfortunately and has an expected end. It could have become of the top films in the genre with a little more work. However it is quite good and is recommended.

Sort of watchable, but unexceptional

[Wizard-8 · 5/10 · 26 May 2018]

While this action thriller is far from the worst of its kind that I've seen, it is ultimately a forgettable viewing experience. It's kind of hard to figure out why it doesn't work, because it gets a few elements right. The acting is decent, the production values are pretty good, and the European backdrop does give the movie a little freshness. One problem is that the story itself is really nothing new - you will have seen the same basic plot in other movies before, including its various twists and turns. The characters are also nothing terribly new, and the lead character is a kind of bland figure who doesn't open up that much and show what he is thinking or feeling. There also isn't a lot of action, and while the few action moments do have some genuine energy, they are often directed and edited in a somewhat confusing manner. I would only recommend this movie to the few people who have not seen this basic formula before... but even then those viewers might have some of the same issues that I had.

Average thriller

[Luigi Di Pilla · 6/10 · 19 November 2017]

If you have nothing to do and you want to spend an entertaining moment this could work. The story begins guessing what will happen next and it offers to the audience suspense too . The revenge plan from the daughter is well developed and the scenarios are well chosen. There are many action and combat scenes that makes The Hunter's Prayer a fast paced thriller. My wife gave 7 and me 6 out of 10 = 6.5/10.

Such a dull movie

[cearbenabid · 3/10 · 15 December 2018]

I did not enjoy this , what i'm gonna critique about the movie should be essentials , the story is so vague and badly written , the movie becomes so confusing at so many moments , the score of the movie was very badly used , that would put thrilling symphonys in non action packed parts of the movie , overall it was a flop for me , I didn't care about any of that characters . The only good thing I will say is that the fight scenes ar mildly good , and I was impressed by the gunshot scenes , very well handled

Very Enjoyable, nothing surprising

[cjstanford-65097 · 7/10 · 19 October 2022]

Starts off at a good pace and the story's continuing evolvement keeps it fresh. Mostly. I had to FF near the end. Better than a 6 but a seven is a stretch- a thriller for the whole family. The main characters' continuing development underlies a positive, nearly feel good movie, which is nice for a thriller. So it's not a cookie-cutter plot, but damn near close. Acting, cinematography, sound etc was what you would expect in a high budget film. Sets selection is way better than average, takes the viewer through rural and urban Europe, and a bit of America. If a feel good movie makes you sick, then pass, but it's not as sappy as a Hallmark. And if hard cold realism is your thing, then skip it. There's a lot of luck following the two protagonists not to mention superhuman like levels of emotional and physical recovery.

Déjà vu and better

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 21 August 2017]

While I was watching The Hunter's Prayer I couldn't stop thinking it's all been done before and way better. I watched it until the end though without having great expectations that the storyline would differ from the other similar movies. And it didn't, no surprises at all. Just an average action thriller about a contract killer having some remorse. The acting isn't that bad, but it isn't great either. Never saw a junkie in my life before that could still act normally, especially being a contract killer where you need some accuracy. So that was kind of dumb in my eyes, but than again it's just fiction. So if you have the chance to chose a movie just pick another one with the same story instead of this one because it's all been done better before.

Road Movie With a Twist

[lavatch · 8/10 · 8 August 2017]

In the bonus segment of the DVD of "The Hunter's Prayer," director Jonathan Mostow described his intention to transform the generic action and "road film" with a major reversal in the character relationships. Due to the good character developments, the filmmakers were successful in their mission.

A hired killer named Lucas (Sam Worthington) is tasked with the job of killing the daughter of an attorney, who has recently been assassinated at the behest of the nefarious financier named Addison. The daughter, Ella (Odeya Rush), who stands to inherit a fortune, is captured by Lucas, but she asks him a question that is a game changer: "What is your name?" The killer is so taken aback by this human touch that he begins to reflect on his life as a thug. That transformation leads to the new life he will create for himself out of this experience.

The film is set in a variety of locations, including Scarsdale, N.Y.; Montreux, Switzerland; Chaumont, France; The English Channel; and Leeds, England. Much of the filming took place in Hungary. But there is some stunning footage of Yorkshire at the close of the film, as well as a grand old English manor house.

But the film will not be remembered for its panoramic vistas, but for the bonding that occurs between Lucas and Ella. Most of the characters in this film are villains, and they have no idea that Lucas will change his ways as a Jason Bourne-like killer. One of the bonus segments in the DVD is called "The Cost of Killing." Lucas comes to reflect on that cost, to kick his drug habit, and to contemplate reuniting with his family.

In one of the most memorable scenes, Lucas hands Ella his pistol and carefully explains what it takes to kill another human being. It turns out that the scene was improvised by the actors. That scene was one of the turning points for both characters, as they seek not merely to survive, but to discover a new inner identity to start their lives anew.

Better than you would expect

[hermesg-92725 · 7/10 · 14 February 2021]

As the Headline says... Didn't expect anything, but I was positively suprised. I was not bored at all. The end is a little cheesy though. 7/10

Sam, that was bad!

[gpxdlr · 1/10 · 5 November 2019]

Sam W. must have needed the check, terrible. Disappointed with him. The director sucked. So many errors. Good photography and scenery though.