When I read the box for The Hunted in my local Blockbuster, it was reasonable to assume that this movie might offer something beyond what I had gathered from the TV previews I saw about a year ago. When I saw those, I assumed that this was just your basic action flick starring Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones, in all their three-name, self-important, Hollywood glory. (Side Note: Due to the snappiness of the three name thing, I have decided that I need three names, but my middle name isn't good enough so I will take suggestions.) When I read the box in Blockbuster I was feeling it might be better because it starred two Oscar award winning actors. Maybe I would have enjoyed this movie more if I hadn't allowed my expectations to be raised by a silly box.

My perceptions up front were that this movie was going to be an exact combination of The Fugitive and First Blood, complete with a Tommy Lee Jones casting. As it turns out, my first instincts were correct. Tommy Lee Jones plays a contracted army trainer who must hunt down one of his students who has come unprogrammed and is using his killing training improperly. (It's Over Johnny! NOTHING IS OVER!)

Benicio Del Toro (Del Toro translated: of the bull?) plays the army specialist gone haywire after a tour through Kosovo. Early on in the movie, he explains his killings by saying that the hunters today have an unfair advantage with their massive guns, scopes and other tools. I was sitting there thinking, "Ok, well then he is an animal rights advocate or something." That really never played out, and I think they just wanted me to think that he had gone insane. They never really told me why he goes off the deep end, despite a drawn out scene showing Del Toro in action in Kosovo.

Anyway, the movie plays out like a decent action film. Not too much suspense, but the action was good. It held my attention during its running time and I was ready for it to be over when it ended. As long as you aren't expecting Oscar caliber performances, you will like this movie. Although, I would recommend either First Blood or The Fugitive instead.