The Hunter
1hr 42min.Australia 2011. Directed by Daniel Nettheim. With Willem Dafoe, Sam
Neill, Morgana Davies, Frances O’Connor.
Although officially pronounced extinct in 1936, sightings of the Tasmanian tiger are still reported today. In The Hunter, a bio-technology firm sends mercenary Martin David on a mission to find proof of the tigers’ continuing existence. Forming bonds with the family of a hunter who disappeared into the wilderness of Tasmania months previously, Martin encounters hostility from some locals, and ultimately begins to question the motives behind his quest. Visually stunning and grippingly plotted, The Hunter also boasts a typically intense performance by Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ, Platoon) as Martin David, ably supported by Frances O’Connor (The Importance of Being Earnest) and Sam Neill (The Piano, Dead Calm).