The Hunt

Be careful of what you hear. The power of one's words can easily get blown out of proportion. They can also destroy one's reputation. (Atonement provides one such example.)

Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt is another stellar example. But rather than revolving around what was said, the film focuses one the reactions to what was said. And boy, it ain't pretty.

The film focuses on Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), a man who recently got his life back in order. But a nasty rumor starts to circulate in his small town, and it's possible that Lucas' reputation could get ruined.

It's thanks to Vinterberg's direction and Mikkelsen's performance that make The Hunt work. You expect at some point for Lucas to slowly crack under pressure but throughout the film, he remains resilient until it's finally too much. Again, Vinterberg's direction and Mikkelsen's performance, both unflinching, are what make the film work.

By many means, The Hunt is a quiet film but it doesn't stay that way the whole time. As well as being incredibly dark (even considering its subject matter), the film also convinced me that the human race is a vicious one. We just need that one provocation, and only God knows what'll happen next...

My Rating: *****