The Hunted
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christopher Lambert, Joan Chen, John Lone, Yôko Shimada, Yoshio HaradaBrand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-12-15
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Hunted
Movie Review: "There Are No Ninjas In Japan" ~ The Price of Misguided Honor
Summary: 5 Stars
Two ancient traditions collide in the heart of a modern day Japanese city when an unwary American businessman witnesses the execution of a beautiful Japanese woman by a infamous ninja cult.
Paul Racine (Christopher Lambert) alone and lonely in a foreign land meets Kirina (Joan Chen) in the bar of his hotel. Hoping for a little company for the evening he strikes up a conversation with her which evenutally leads to a night on the town and ends in Kirina hotel room for a fleeting moment of passion.
Just as unexpectedly as the evening began it abruptly ends when Kirina turns somber and introspective just before asking Paul to leave. Somewhat bewildered he reluctantly grants her request all the while wondering what went wrong. What Paul didn't know was Kirina had a good reason for asking him to leave. She is slated to be executed that very night. It was time to prepare herself for the arrival of the ninja assassins.
As the assassination is being carried out Paul unexpectedly walks back into Kirina's room and witnesses her murder. Miraculously he survives his wounds and the posionous substance administered to the tips of the ninjas weapons, awakening days later in a hospital bed with a fantastic story that nobody seems to believe. According to the authorities ninjas were a part of Japan's past. They no longer exist in modern day Japan.
There is one doctor however who believes him. He knows the truth about the secretive ninja cult and knows that the ninjas will return to kill the only witness to the crime. He contacts Takeda (Yoshio Harada) the last great samurai and the only one who may be able to help Paul survive the ordeal to come.
At first Takeda's offer to help seems to be an altrustic act of kindness and courage, however as the story unfolds you discover the samurai warrior has an agenda of his own. He is using Paul as a decoy to lure his old enemy Kinjo out into the open for a battle to the death.
There are alot of things going on in this film with genre overlapping genre. Action/Adventure, Comedy and Romance are all intertwined with a subtle touch or Horror as the spirit of the dead woman returns to haunt both Kinjo and Paul. There are some wonderful fighting sequences coupled with surprisingly graphic violence and nudity. This is cleverly counterbalanced by some lighthearted comedic moments between Christopher Lambert and Takeda's perpetually inebriated swordsmith.
While the romantic elements are quite subdued they are touching nonetheless. The enchanting Yoko Shimada (Shogun) plays the part of Mieko, Takeda's devoted wife. Despite her love for her husband she can only watch him slip away as he becomes increasingly obsessed with his mission to kill Kinjo and destroy the ninja clan. While she sees strength and bravery in the old ways as embodied in her warrior husband she inwardly longs for a more gentle and forgiving way of life that she sees lived out in Paul. There are no romantic feelings expressed between Paul and Mieko but I think the ending implicitly indicates something more may exist.
The cast is excellent. Looking like he just stepped out of an old Akira Kurosawa film, Yoshio Harada is perfect as the brooding, unyielding samurai Takeda. Just as impressive is John Lone (The Last Emperor) in the role of the intense and haunted Kinjo, leader of the ninja clan. Christopher Lambert does an excellent job as the sometimes confused, sometimes brave American trying to stay alive while remaining true to his own beliefs in a culture he doesn't understand and Yoko Shimada is as always the epitomy of beauty, strength and compassion.
More than anything else this is a tale of two dedicated warriors forever trapped in their own personal histories and traditions. Unable to see beyond the confines of the past they have forgotten the true meaning of honor, striving to fulfill the letter of the law while forgetting the spirit behind it.
Looking at some of the reviews already on Amazon there appears to be quite a difference of opinion concerning this film. I guess this is one of those movies you either love or hate. In my case, I love it!
Summary of The Hunted
HUNTED - DVD MovieChristopher Lambert, the imposing French actor with the nasal whine best known to American audiences as Scottish swordsman Highlander, plays a rank amateur in The Hunted. He's an American businessman in Japan who lucks into a one-night stand with slinky Joan Chen and winds up a witness to her murder by a mysterious band of black-clad ninjas. Escaping not one but two attempts on his life by a little quick thinking and a lot of dumb luck, he winds up on a harrowing bullet train ride. As swarms of masked assassins decimate passengers in search of the elusive eyewitness, Lambert's laconic protector, rough-edged samurai Yoshio Harada, unleashes a martial arts frenzy of flashing swords in close quarters. His savior is not as altruistic as he seems, however. He just wants to lure mysterious ninja overlord John Lone out of hiding and into a fight to the death on Harada's island fortress, and Lambert is little more than live bait. Though it made few ripples at the box office, The Hunted is a slick and surprisingly smart thriller. Lone and Harada cut striking figures as the warriors following ancient codes in the modern world, and writer-director J.F. Lawton (screenwriter of Pretty Woman and Under Siege) gives them almost as much screen time as ostensible hero Lambert. The action scenes are furious and fast paced, lacking the grace and precision of real Japanese samurai adventures but full of clever flourishes. --Sean Axmaker
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