Why so much hype?

Just so...so bad

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Actually this movie was released the year just prior to that of First Blood...and it contains all the same elements. An innocent man being hunted down by a large posse for a crime he did not commit, rugged mountainous terrain, and death defying stunts by one man's struggle to survive.The viewers sympathy lies with the main character played by Charles Bronson, (Albert Johnson) a lone trapper living in the wilderness, but it also lies with his main pursuer (Sergeant Edgar Millen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) played by Lee Marvin. Millen would prefer to simply let Johnson go about his solitary existence, but is forced to try bringing him to justice as a result of his official title as a policeman.This movie not only entertains with all the action and drama of the unfolding chase, but it also gives the viewer a glimpse into the salty existence of the early settlers and rugged mining camps of the north.It is my type of movie and is very well produced. It also contains a great cast that includes the likes of Carl Weathers, Andrew Stevens, Ed Lauter, and Angie Dickenson. Definitely placing it in my Top 30 all time favorites.

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).

If you can look past the legion of historical inaccuracies, you'll probably enjoy Death Hunt, a bringing together of Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, along with Angie Dickinson in a story of a wrongly-accused trapper harassed and chased by the RCMP and a posse made up of men, none of whom has an IQ above that of a pine tree.The 1931 story, filmed fifty years after the fiction (who would accuse the script of being factual?) showcases Marvin and Bronson at the near-end of their useful careers. Ol' Lee growls and grumbles at having to train a rookie Mountie (Andrew Stevens) and never cracks so much as a sweat. You can tell that he was informed to play his character as the caricature Lee Marvin (and not the vibrant and edgy Marvin of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Cat Ballou, and Point Blank). What you get is an impression of Marvin, by Marvin.Bronson fares worst, simply because he's given nothing to do except look athletic and kill posse members. He's fascinating to watch, not because he says or does anything overly important, but because you keep hoping the Bronson of The Magnificent Seven and The Dirty Dozen will appear . . . and slap the sillies out of the bad guys.It never happens.Yet, Death Hunt is an entertaining, if lazy chase film. Considering the murderous inflation of the year it was shot (1980), DH looks genuine on the cheap. My quibbles are with the tight shots (to hide whatever anachronistic scenery couldn't be dealt with) and the overly-dramatic musical score.The next time it shows on AMC, catch it. The R-rated film comes to the little screen almost completely intact. I saw the movie on HBO back in the early eighties and my impression of what has been hacked out is just a few crudities and a boob or butt. The gory violence appears intact. The only reason I mention this is that if you sit down to watch this with your 13 year old or above kiddies, you won't have too much cringing to do.Not a bad two hours to blow, with a couple old friends named Marvin and Bronson!

The Yukon territory in 1931. Rugged, laconic loner trapper Albert Johnson (a splendidly terse and stoic Charles Bronson) saves a badly wounded canine from a brutal dogfight. The guys involved in the dogfight decide to pay Johnson a visit. Johnson shoots and kills one of the men in self-defense. Tough Mountie Sergeant Edgar Millen (a strong, steely turn by Lee Marvin) tries to arrest Johnson, but he gets away and so begins one of the deadliest manhunts in history. Director Peter Hunt relates the gripping story at a steady pace, vividly evokes the Great Depression period setting, stages the action scenes with rip-roaring flair, and frequently punctuates things with startling outbursts of raw, bloody violence. Bronson and Marvin both excel in the leads (their one big confrontation scene is a taut, crackling doozy); they receive fine support from Andrew Stevens as eager, by-the-book, fresh-faced rookie Alvin Adams, Carl Weathers as the jolly Sundog, Ed Lauter as gruff, huffy troublemaker Hazel, Angie Dickinson as the sweet, enticing Vanessa McBride, Henry Beckman as wily veteran tracker Bill Lusk, August Schellenberg as the hot-tempered Deak De Blearque, Maury Chaykin as the scruffy, dim-witted Claurence, Len Lesser as the grizzled Lewis, Scott Hylands as cocky airplane pilot Hank Tucker, and Willam Sanderson as the clumsy Ned Warren (he gets his arm caught in a bear trap). James Devis' slick, expansive cinematography, Jerrold Immel's rousing, majestic score, and the desolate wintry landscape all further enhance the overall sound quality of this cracking good and stirring picture.