The Hunters
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Movie Reviews of The Hunters
Movie Review: Old War Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
The movies were great. I love old war movies, and these had great stars and the price was certainly right.Movie Review: The Hunters
Summary: 5 Stars
The film is a good 50's war film-shipped quickly and arriving in
great condition.C.M.
Movie Review: "The Hunters" DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a new copy, still in wrapping. I am very pleased.Movie Review: Great Jet Combat but the love triangle is an unwanted side story
Summary: 4 Stars
My DVD movie collection does not yet exceed 10 titles, but I had to have this film that I first saw decades ago. As it seldom showed up on TV it was not in my videotape collection. The air combat sequences are as good or better than I remember but I thought there were more of them. Other than Top Gun, this is the only film I can recall where the air combat sequences were obviously flown by US military pilots. If more flying and interaction among the pilots had been substituted for the romantic subplot, I would have given it another star. Fortunately as a DVD can be viewed chapter by chapter, the romatic junk can be skipped and viewers can cut right to the dogfights. Actually I wish the flying sequences had been expanded. The 2 seconds per kill clips of Wagner and Mitchum as they become double aces are analogous to the old baseball movies where a road trip is shown by pennants bearing the names of cities flying past a steam locomotive. Perhaps the movie could have started (or flashed back to) WWII action involving Saville and Imil, when Saville was supposedly an immature hot shot like Pell.
The planes shown as MIG 15s are actually F-84F Thunderstreaks, manufactured by Republic Aviation. I immediately noticed this discrepancy, as my father was a Republic engineer in the 1950s and designed components of the F-84F --cockpit air conditioning -- and also the Vietnam era F-105 Thunderchief -- hydraulics for the landing gear. Our old 1951 Plymouth had an F-84F bumpersticker on it and later my heavy one-speed, foot-brake bike (the type with the wide center sections and the bell button) was plastered with F-105 stickers. When I was 6 years old the Thunderbirds put on an airshow flying F-84Fs at the main Republic plant on Long Island where my father worked. Using the Thunderstreak was probably the best option given the producers' obvious goal of showing real jet combat and in in no way detracts from the authenticity or exciitement of the flying sequences. As the film was made in 1958 at the height of the Cold War, I doubt there were sufficient MIGs available to film in air combat sequences in a movie made in the US. In one scene, the film shows about 20 MIGs (i.e. F-84s) flying in an echelon. The F-84F was probably chosen because its intake has a vertical divider, as does the MIG-15, and it is also a swept wing plane. I will watch most any film that emphasizes aviation or space (I bought The Right Stuff in the same order as this film). Accordingly my rating is based to an extent on my personal interests. Mitchum turns in an above-average performance in a role that is tailored to his tough guy with a human side personality (See e.g. Mitchum as General Norman Cota, deputy commander of the 29th infantry division--my father's unit--in The Longest Day) and Wagner is entertaining as a slang-spewing, glory-seeking, neophyte, fighter jock who rubs Mitchum the wrong way as they compete to knock down enemy planes. (Thanks to those of you who corrected my errors on the spelling and command position of Gen. Cota and the casting of the Star Trek episode).
Movie Review: Jet-Propelled Action !
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Hunters" is a well-made, exciting Korean war drama, with the accent on aviation. It has an above-average plot for this type of film, and the whole movie, particularly the aerial sequences, is expertly directed by Dick Powell. If you are interested in combat aircraft, there are many scenes of F-86 Sabre Jets engaging MIGs in dogfight battles to the death.While the planes are great to watch, this film is primarily about human beings caught up in war. It stars Robert Mitchum, and he is terrific--his fighter pilot character is a born leader, yet he also suspects there is something important missing in his life. He enters into a guilt-ridden relationship with the wife of another pilot, played by lovely May Britt. When there's a war on though, the feelings of two people aren't worth--as someone once said--"a hill of beans". Mr. Mitchum's main job is to lead a fighter squadron, and satisfy his boss on the ground--Richard Egan in a strong performance, knowing that every day he may be sending a man to his death.
Just to make things even more interesting for Mr. Mitchum, his squadron includes Ms. Britt's husband ( a paranoid, self-doubting Lee Philips ) and a cocky, young "hotshot" who doesn't like "rules" ( a young, excellent Robert Wagner ). It would be unfair to reveal more of the plot, but the film is consistently interesting and exciting.
The DVD is full screen on one side, and wide-screen on the other. The colour is very good for a 46-year old film. It does not have "surround sound", of course, unlike that 1986 aviation hit, "Top Gun"--then again, "Top Gun" didn't have Robert Mitchum ! Tom Cruise has a nice smile--but, for leadership and grit, I'd follow Robert Mitchum through the gates of hell !
Actually, I'll give "The Hunters" 4 1/2 stars. Action--suspense--romance--Sabre Jets--Robert Mitchum--what more do you want ? Thanks, Fox--a very nice disc !