Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

The Hunt 

This film is an engaging tongue and cheek film that tackles social commentary topics while also serving up a great amount of edge of your seat scares that are effective.  This film really gripped me from the moment it started as the premise itself as original as it is I couldn’t stop comparing the similarities to the film the Purge which I’m not saying it’s copying from but both films tackle social themes while staying inside the genre of horror. Now the purge was more about overpopulation and this film discusses social commentary on themes of assumptions we make of people and the idea of not stereotyping people as it does delve quite deep into that narrative. 

Firstly, This film has seemed to have divided critics as it has around a 54 at the moment on Rotten Tomatoes as it seems theirs a lot of people that seem like they either like the film or hate it as since it talks about such loaded theme some will think it’s just a film trying to slam cancel culture and just be a political piece and nothing more which isn’t the case but I can see why people would see it that way though. As the film walks the line from making a horror with themes of political commentary to almost being a film that hits you over the head with the themes of its politics it’s trying to discuss. Now for me though I never felt it over did it with the politics it discussed I actually thought it was done quite well as it is able to be a parody of its own subject while at the same time taking its subject serious at times and I love that even keel. As sure they can joke about what their discussing but their are valid points the film does bring to the surface as well. The film represents these characters in a way that you the audience don’t know how to feel about them as the film itself makes you have to make the judgment if they are good people or not they don’t sway it one way or the other they show both sides and voice both opinions now it’s shown through very  flashy dialogue and these really bold characters that stand out so well onscreen. 

Secondly, The film brings this real Brutal sense of violence to the screen it’s very unpredictable in the sense you don’t know when and who will be picked off and as the viewer it makes you so unsettled as at any moment anything that could happen might happen and that’s terrifying to think about. When their is violence is so flashy and over the top cartoony in the same vein of a Tarantino film and their definitely are parts where someone might get shot or hit and they should be dead but they keep going and that’s me just being nit picky as the fight hand to hand combat scenes were fantastically well choreographed as theirs a fight sequence in the third act of this film that just is a brutal moment of sheer violence that was presented in such a raw and intense way that keeps you biting your nails in anticipation of what’s going to happen next. 

The performances from the entire cast is all great here. They all knew what exactly what the tone set for this film was as it’s a very bold satire and the performances themselves are very cartoony but also really grounded in emotional depth at times too. As everyone is great in this film but the standout is the performance from Betty Giplin who gives a fantastic kick ass lead performance of great subtle emotion and she steals every frame and demands the screen in a great leading performance of a character you are engaged by the moment she walks onscreen. Everyone else gave great supporting performances despite a lot of the characters not having as much screen time they all contributed greatly and brought all unique types of quirks to their characters to really make them standout and memorable. 

Lastly, This satire horror comedy really makes some bold decisions and it works as it tackles some very heavy handed themes while also being able to laugh at it as well. It’s layered in rich characters and snappy dialogue and unpredictable twists and turns with brutal violence that will have your jaw on the floor from shock. This is a over the top social commentary that does not hold back on what it has to say and I respect that. It’s probably so far one of the best horror films I’ve seen this year so far it’s a fantastic original bold film that I recommend everyone go check out. 

This film centres around liberal snobs who choose normal conservatives to use them for their own pleasure and hunt them down in a violent sadistic game of theirs that results in a unpredictable blood bath until someone stands up and fights back to take down their game piece by piece

Rated R : for strong bloody violence, and language throughout

Betty Giplin : Betty delivers a kick ass lead performance in this film! Betty Giplin has been in small roles in films and tv shows over the years but this really cemented her as a leading presence. As she commands the screen in her subtly powerful performance that is so entertaining from the first very frame to the last. She brings this subtlety to her performance that is great as she doesn’t evoke a lot of loud emotional moments in the film as she’s very emotionally reserved to herself in the film so it’s a lot harder to know what she’s thinking a lot of the time as she’s very kept to herself. But what I did love about Betty’s performance was her ability to be so emotive with her expressions on her face as you could read so much from the sheer look or a stare in her eye and it would convey so much by saying so little. The interesting thing is theirs probably only one scene In the film where she talks the most which is when she’s sitting on the side of the road telling a story that actually has some deep meaning to the film itself and the sheer charisma and energy she brought was great as when she does speak she brings this fire to her delivery that is so engaging. Your eyes are glued to her performance the entire time and she uses this Mississippi accent that really worked perfectly for the character and she had this toughness on the outside of her personality but on the inside you can see the vulnerability as theirs a quick moment in the film where she streams a tear down her cheek and she fights it back as to not show herself crying and that subtle stuff is brilliant. She really was able to convey some terrific emotional by saying so little all while giving a greatly layered performance that was so fun to watch onscreen Betty Giplin have a terrific performance and I can’t wait to see what she does next. 

Craig Zobel : Craig has crafted a darkly comedic and gory thought provoking film that will have people talking long after its over! This film will have people talking for sure and it’s all due to the incredibly terrific direction by Craig as the film is not your average horror flick as sure their have been films that have taken on social commentary in films such as Jordan Peele in Get Out and most recently this years the invisible Man but this film hits a lot of deep chords I didn’t expect it to. It blurs the line of who you know to be good or bad he never makes the audience feel one side is evil and the other is better their both looked at with the same glasses but it’s the audience choice to decide who they root for and I love that as it’s not swayed one way or the other he just plays both groups in the middle and then has fun with it. Then he throws in a big amount of effective violence that is over the top and very cheesy but it never got predictable because when the violence did hit the gore would hit at moments you never expected it to. The film constantly had you on edge and always kept the audience entertained and the film constantly plays with the political themes and it never go to the point where I got sick of it but at the same time it wasn’t exactly subtle either it had something to say and it said it greatly and really drove home a message not to make pre conceived notions about people as people aren’t one sided theirs more to that and the film drives home this heavy handed topic quite well if you ask me. Craig never got me disengaged from the film as he uses these great bold characters to draw you in and then uses the themes of social commentary to get you to talk about it after and then uses the gore to great effect as well. Everything is greatly balanced out and he did a great job at keeping all the balls in the air and delivering a all around fantastic thought provoking film.