Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Executscan Expected more

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

aimless-46 I first saw "Hunting Party" (1971) at the base theater during my Air Force days. Films on base typically ran for only one day (three shows) and this was one of a handful that drew capacity crowds to the second and third shows due to "word of mouth" praise by those who attended the first screening.If you liked Monte Hellman's "The Shooting" (1966) you will love this film as it appears to have served as the inspiration. It would in turn provide much of the inspiration the next year for "Chato's Land". All three films have the same tone and they share a lot of philosophical elements.At the time of my first viewing I found the film extremely troubling as it aggressively broke many conventions of the western genre and introduced an almost unparalleled level of moral ambiguity; going well beyond "Bonnie & Clyde" and "The Wild Bunch". I dwelled on the film's themes endlessly after that viewing and I caution all potential viewers that they may find it deeply disturbing. Nevertheless it is an important film that blazes a lot of new territory, putting it on a very short list of "must see" features.What with all the graphic violence it works surprisingly well as a love story. Because Candice Bergen went far deeper than her standard sterile heroine her improbable romance with Oliver Reed's character required little suspension of disbelief.For me the two most memorable scenes are the ambush at the water hole and the sharing of the jar of peaches, scenes of incredible contrast which occur midway through the film. The acting for the camera direction of the peaches scene is extraordinary, with the unbridled joy of the threesome believably reinforcing earlier clues that many of the outlaws are simply people who have had to subordinate their basic goodness in order to survive in this environment."Hunting Party" included several allegorical elements ranging from fundamental commentary on the "Human Condition" to contemporary issues like the Viet Nam war. Brandt Ruger (Gene Hackman) describes his tactics as "hit and run", early 1970's audiences could not help but relate this to the Viet Cong. Ruger's ultimately self-destructive quest to recover his manhood reflected the country's inability to "cut & run" when it became clear that our intervention in Viet Nam was an exercise in futility.The most interesting element is the way the film juxtapositions "taming of the west" elements with "Heart of Darkness" inspired descents into savagery. Thus evolving contrasts with devolving, with learning to read a civilizing element for the outlaw group and primitive rage the motivator for the civilized group.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

blackkatdemon The Hunting Party is a good western, but there are a few scene's of nudity that I could really care less for. I'm by far a horror movie fan, and this movie has a lot of gory bloody shoot out scene's in it. The movie is about a group of outlaw's that kidnap a women who they think is a school teacher, so their leader can learn how to read. This movie has you going the good guy is the bad guy, the bad guy is the good guy, and the women is torn between the two.Gene Hackman (Brandt Ruger) play's a really good a**hole in this movie, he plays the bad guy well. Oliver Reed (Frank Calder) play's the leader of the gang who should be a villain, but turn out to be the nice guy. Reed pulls off the American accent pretty d*mn good. You wouldn't know he was British from watching this movie. Mitch Ryan (Doc Harrison) awesome as Doc, only knew him from Dharma and Greg, pretty good performance. Candice Bergen (Melissa Ruger) I didn't recognize at first, since all I remember her from was Murphy Brown, and Miss Congeniality.Brandt Ruger is a rich cattle rancher that if he owns something it's his and no one else, and no one steals from him either. When Frank Calder steals his wife Ruger and his men start hunting down the gang. Using high tech guns that can kill a man from 800 feet away. Ruger's men start taking down Calder's men one by one, it's very bloody and messy. Melissa Ruger and Frank fall for each other, which anger's Brandt even more. When the movie ends, your cheering and going d*mn I didn't see that one coming. It's a good movie, One western that I actually like, and that surprised me a lot.

arthstra This is arguably the best western ...maybe the best movie .....I have ever seen in the last 50 years. Having a copy of the DVD should be any westerns lovers desire, but,if you ever have the opportunity to view it on the big screen, grab it. Sure ,the experts can find faults with it,but the greater majority of them even extol the film's virtues. I absolutely & unconditionally recommend it (not for under 15's though) I guess I should point out that I am a huge Gene Hackman admirer. I have never seen a movie of his that I didn't at least enjoy viewing. Oliver Reed was an exceptional actor & does a superb job with his role. Candice Bergen is still in demand ,albeit for TV ,& in this role does her character proud,as difficult as it must have been . Overall excellent casting including the supports who play their parts very well. Seriously ,forget about technicalities...enjoy the movie...YOU WILL

sol1218 **SPOILERS** Coming across like a combination between "The Searchers" and "Wild Bunch" the western revenge movie "The Hunting Party" never quite matches, in blood gore and bullet ridden body's and body parts, either one of those movies. Not that it lacks the vital ingredients of both but because it's so ridiculous that you have a hard time believing it.Riding through the town of Ruger outlaw Frank Calder, Oliver Reed, and his gang of desperado's kidnap Mellissa Ruger, Candice Bergen, for the sole purpose, in mistaking her for an elementary school teacher, of teaching Frank to read! It seems that Frank wants to read about his exploits in the newspapers besides looking at the pictures and comic-strips in them. As this is happening Mellissa's old man that the town of Ruger is named after Brandt Ruger, Gene Hackman, is out on a train trip with his millionaire friends to gun down wild game with this new high powered, that can hit its targets at 800 yards, and telescopic rifle that he gave his friends for a present for going on the trip with him. Getting the shocking news that his old lady, Mellissa, had been kidnapped Brandt shoots right back to Ruger, with his not too willing friends, to track and gun down Mellissa's kidnappers as well as save her from a fate worse then death; Being gang raped by Frank and his motley crew.Gunning down, at long range, most of Frank's men Brandt is shocked to later find out-from one of them- that his pretty and abused, mostly by him, wife has fallen in love with that dirty foul mouth and illiterate slob Frank Calder! By then most of Brandt's men, who are still left alive, decide to call it quits knowing that saving Mellissa is no longer worth their effort. Since she's been stricken not only by Frank's both charm and rugged good looks, not to mention his wild animal-like body odor, but the Stockholm Syndrome, a kidnap victim falling in love with his or her kidnapper, as well. Only Brandt's good friend, the only friend he now has left in the world, Matthw Gunn, Simon Okland, decides to go along with him on his mission to rescue his wife who in fact doesn't want to be rescued by him.The film ends with a one on one confrontation between Frank and Brandt in the Mojave Desert with Matthew Gunn having by then come to his senses and checked out of the movie. With the big winning prize, since by then a couple dozen persons had been killed over her, being non other then Brandt's kidnapped wife and Frank's lover the beautiful and now suffering from a serious case of sun stroke Mellissa Ruger!Not that bad of of film if you don't take it at all seriously and just watch it for laughs which I think that "The Hunting Party" was really intended for. The most moving and at the same time tragic scene in the movie had nothing to do with it's female star-whom everyone was killing themselves over-Candice Bergen but one of Frank's gang members Doc Harrison, Mitch Ryan.***SPOILER ALERT***Badly wounded and dying Doc begged his good friend Frank to put him out of his misery which he didn't have the heart to do. Finally not being able to take it, Doc's groans of agony, anymore Frank did what he had to do but with both deep regret and apprehension. The way Frank did it would literally blow you, like it did Doc, completely away!