2020 - The Hunt
The pre-release outrage — including a condemnatory tweet from Donald Trump — was wildly overblown. The Hunt is not a “liberal snuff film” targeting conservatives, nor is it a brave anti-woke manifesto. It’s a movie that mistakes cynicism for insight. The title isn’t about the literal hunt but the metaphorical one: the way Americans on both sides dehumanize each other online. But because the film refuses to take a real stance — beyond “both sides are dumb and violent” — it ends up saying nothing at all. Satire requires specificity and risk. The Hunt plays it safe by offending everyone just enough to seem daring, but never enough to be meaningful.
A near-universal point of praise was the performance of Betty Gilpin. Critics hailed her as a breakout action star. The BBC described her as while VODzilla gave her performance a perfect score of 10/10, calling her "astonishingly physical" and "equal parts Bruce Campbell and Bugs Bunny". Hilary Swank was also noted as having "a frankly unusual amount of fun" playing the villainous Athena.
When the movie was finally released, critics noted that it was actually mocking the very hysteria that its marketing had originally generated, with the film attacking, rather than endorsing, either extreme political side. Reception and Performance
As the world welcomed a new decade, few could have predicted the unprecedented challenges that lay ahead. The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, a global health crisis that brought economies to a standstill, forced widespread lockdowns, and transformed the way we live, work, and interact with one another. In the face of such uncertainty and adversity, humanity was put to the test, and the resilience and adaptability of individuals, communities, and nations were pushed to the limit. The Hunt 2020
The glue that holds The Hunt together is Betty Gilpin’s performance as Crystal. Crystal refuses to fit into either political box. She is entirely pragmatic, focusing strictly on tactical survival rather than ideological debates.
Critically, the film received from critics, reflected in its "rotten" score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 28 reviews. On Metacritic, it scored 54 out of 100, based on 45 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". While many praised Betty Gilpin's performance and the film's action sequences, others found the satire to be too blunt and toothless to be effective. Some critics accused the film of "both-sides-ism," arguing it failed to take a meaningful stance, while others simply found it to be "lame and weaselly".
While the film is the primary subject of this keyword, 2020 saw the release of other notable media featuring "Hunt" in their title: The pre-release outrage — including a condemnatory tweet
To understand The Hunt 2020 , you must understand the summer of 2019. In August 2019, mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton convulsed the United States. In the immediate aftermath, a conservative media outlet published the film’s script summary and claimed the film portrayed Trump supporters being slaughtered for fun.
The Hunt is not for the faint of heart; it is a violent, chaotic, and intentionally provocative film. If you are looking for a straightforward thriller, this may feel too chaotic. However, if you enjoy dark satire that skewers extreme political divisiveness, The Hunt offers a unique, fast-paced ride.
The premise of The Hunt leans directly into modern internet conspiracy culture. Twelve working-class strangers from red states (including Mississippi, Wyoming, and Ohio) suddenly wake up in a remote clearing with gags locked in their mouths. In the center of the clearing, they find a massive crate containing a cache of weapons—and a live pig. The title isn’t about the literal hunt but
became one of the most controversial films of its year before anyone had even seen it. While initial trailers sparked outrage across the political spectrum, the actual film revealed itself to be a subversive satire
Betty Gilpin’s performance as the tough, pragmatic Crystal was widely praised.
Over time, the initial frenzy surrounding The Hunt has subsided, allowing its merits as a piece of entertainment to be reconsidered. Many have begun to argue that the film is, in fact, a . The combination of its controversial history, ultra-violent action, and its prescient, if messy, satire of the modern information age gives it a unique appeal. The film found a new life on streaming platforms like Netflix, where it became a word-of-mouth hit. After more than five years, it still gets described as "the most talked-about movie" that audiences are still discovering. While the film has yet to achieve the mainstream status of other Blumhouse hits, its reputation has been rehabilitated; it is no longer seen as a dangerous political weapon, but as a misunderstood, entertaining piece of genre filmmaking that captures the chaotic spirit of its time.