Leofwine_draca Now this is just the sort of film I like: a lean, mean, taut and pared-down thriller, made without any of the gloss and gimmickry we usually associate with Hollywood productions. It's a simple story of confrontation, of one man versus many, of the kind we're very familiar with (very similar to FIRST BLOOD in fact, as both films detail men going 'back' to nature and confronting overwhelming numbers of well-armed opponents). Just in case you were wondering whether the film could get any more macho, a cast list that reads like a who's who of tough male actors enforces that this is a guy's film all the way.The slim storyline works a treat. Bronson is perfectly cast as the grizzled trapper, and the icy, rugged terrain seems as if it's reflected in his stony features. He's given about the same number of lines as Schwarzenegger was in THE TERMINATOR, but the script makes up in quality what it might lack in quantity. Bronson certainly has his work cut out, as facing him are a whole host of notables: Lee Marvin has one of those great roles as a sympathetic opponent who's actually got more in common with Bronson than his own side, while Andrew Stevens reminds us of why he got cast in big-budget films before his star waned. Also on hand are the likes of Bronson regular Ed Lauter as a redneck, Carl Weathers as another tough guy (possibly a dry run for his turn in PREDATOR?), sleazebag William Sanderson and even Angie Dickinson in a cameo.This film has a ton of action to complement the short running time, and the thrills never stop coming. The opening sequences remind one of DANCES WITH WOLVES, as Bronson befriends a vicious dog in an act that proves his undoing; we're then treated to an extended siege sequence at his mountain cabin, which is my favourite part of the movie. After this, the film becomes an enduring chase across the superbly-shot snowy terrain with one or two great twists thrown in along the way. It ends on a high, too, making this one of my Bronson favourites – right up there with the likes of BREAKHEART PASS and trash-fest DEATH WISH 3!

SeanJoyce DEATH HUNT sounds like one of those movies that never happened, but you sit around salivating over the possibilities of seeing the two uber he-men of the movies pitted against each other in a bruising frozen north adventure saga. Lucky for us, DEATH HUNT happened alright, and what a treat it is. Made just years before Marvin's death and before Bronson went all bad-movie belligerent on us, this rugged wilderness saga is a glorious last hurrah for its two revered stars.Loosely (and I mean LOOSELY) inspired by an event that occurred in the early 30s, Albert Johnson (Charles Bronson) is a reclusive and unsociable mountain man who incites a group of men after rescuing one of their dogs from a primitive dog fight. This leads to a chain of events that culminates with Royal Canadian Police Sgt. Edgar Millen (Lee Marvin) leading a posse to Johnson's cabin with the hope of bringing him in peacefully. Things don't go as planned, and after an intense shoot-out which leaves Johnson unscathed and several of Millen's men dead, the latter has no choice but to pursue his quarry across the unforgiving terrain of the Yukon. Along the way, more men show up to "aid" Millen's effort and the whole episode becomes a media circus as a reward is promised for the apprehension of the resourceful fugitive.How can one not be sold by the above synopsis? Reading about it makes me want to drool. This is a MAN'S movie in every sense of the word. You're going to want to do nothing but tear through bleeding-red steaks and guzzle mugs of bitter beer after watching this one. It's an action-filled testosterone fest led by the two guys who practically invented the words "tough guy".Bronson and Marvin crossed paths several times in the course of their long careers, the most prominent collaboration of course being THE DIRTY DOZEN (billing is reversed here.) This was the only time we got to see them in an adversarial relationship, and boy is it sweet. One of the huge pleasures of DEATH HUNT is seeing the mutual respect develop between its protagonists. Johnson and Millen are two men "above it all"; they understand each other on a deeper plane than those around them. Millen curses the mobs of men who show up to collect money. Though he's reluctant to pursue Johnson because he knows he's truly innocent, bringing him in becomes a personal matter of honor for him. "Johnson deserves me" he growls at one point.Framing all of this is a "new vs. old" conceit. The hard-drinking, rough-living Millen is joined by a young, uptight constable (Andrew Stevens) who's a stickler for the rules. Millen scoffs at his reliance upon a ham radio, and is contemptuous of the flying ace brought in to assist the manhunt. Millen believes that Johnson is too great and worthy a foe to be done in by what he feels is a cheap mechanization of the encroaching future; he espouses the purity of old-fashioned methods.Bronson and Marvin are old pros at this game, and their established screen personas are ideally suited to the material. Carl Weathers is on hand as Marvin's best friend. He's like a Greek chorus, functioning as a buffer between the clash of ideals epitomized by Marvin and Stevens.Hearty plaudits must be dispensed to the scenery, which is one of the main reasons to watch this movie. Shot on location in Alberta, Canada, the film is a visual banquet. I've gained a huge respect for outdoors movies shot on location, and Death Hunt benefits magnificently from this. I often caught myself rewinding or pausing just so I could revel in its majestic scenery of snow-blanketed mountains and trees. The fact that Bronson and Marvin are braving the harsh elements at their advanced ages is even more to their credit.I would have preferred to spend a bit more time with Bronson after the chase commences. Marvin mentions that they're tailing a man who knows how to live off the land, but we e don't really get much of that aside from one shot of Bronson trying unsuccessfully to ice fish with his hands.At the end of the day, DEATH HUNT isn't a masterpiece and it surely doesn't break any new ground. However, that's what makes it so comforting; as a valentine to its grizzled stars and an era for "pure" action-adventure films unmolested by CGI, it's damn near perfect. Lean, masculine, and featuring some exciting set-pieces, DEATH HUNT emerges a frigid winner.

Kel Here is a story set in Canada about Canadians and yet it was made by the US. I have to ponder why Canada didn't jump on doing this story themselves. If one wonders why Canadian movies are so lame (about failure, disease, depression, weird humor) I would say it is because culturally we have an aversion to examining ourselves in a critical fashion whereas other countries do it quite naturally. England has made films about notorious murders, same with Australia, or Germany (Tenderness of the Wolves), and of course, the US. This story would have been perfect material for a domestic movie--but I can find no evidence that Canada ever sought to make this story themselves. I can understand with the stars involved that they dramatized it and changed the facts, but if it were done with no stars, and kept to the historical story, it still would have been fascinating. But the government film funding bodies don't like stories that present Canada in a negative light. At least in the English side-I know Quebec has covered stories on its history in fictional fashion. I remember the furor over a Canadian murder case when a Canadian producer wanted to make a film about it and was harshly condemned, so the US made it-and Canadian crew people vowed not to work on it. This is seriously screwed up thinking. If Canada wants to develop a normal film industry it needs to be less reserved and more self-examining.... On the film itself, I agree with the sentiments that you wouldn't see this film made today-and if you did, it would star model-types. Character actors have really gone extinct. Some of the melodramatic touches in the film worked for me (the dog, the trapper Bill), others fell flat(the inserted love story). Still, Bronson was effective (you could totally believe he was a rugged mountain man) and Marvin had some good lines (I am sure Canadian government culture ministers would have axed his comment calling the trappers "savages" if it was made in country).

bassetbudz according to one of the comments made on this movie, the pilot of the Bristol F2A aircraft was a WW1 pilot named 'Wop" May. "Wop" was the nickname of Wilfred May who also had another larger claim to fame. He is the Canadian pilot that Manfred von Richtofen, the Red Baron was chasing on April 21, 1918 when he was killed either by a shot fired from the ground as facts suggest, or from the air by May's squadron mate Captain Roy Brown. It was one of May's first missions and as he was still an inexperienced pilot, he had been ordered by Brown to stay out of combat if at all possible, but during a combat with Richtofen's squadron, a fokker triplane flew by May and he couldn't resist going after it. he failed to shoot it down and because his guns had jammed, he broke from the combat and headed home. Von Richtofen saw him and attacked, and it was in the following battle that he lost his life. May went on to become a successful pilot and ace in his own right, and following the war had a career as a bush pilot.