It feels more like a telemovie than a feature film, and yet the performances of Robertson and Borgnine in particular are still very watchable, even if somewhat uneven.
Robertson's unravelling happens too abruptly, and Borgnine's moral compass seems to be all over the place; one minute he's in, the next he's out, it's hard to keep pace. At least you know where you stand with Henry Silva, so no surprises he's the trigger man whose initial marksmanship either saves or condemns the hunting party to their fate, depending on your perspective.
Aside from a key scene-stealing performance by distinguished stage actress Kate Reid, Helen Shaver makes a brief sultry cameo perhaps just to further emphasise Robertson's immorality, and familiar Canuck thespian Les Carlson is also on-hand for some added firepower and Gung-Ho machismo.
The messages are fairly overt, there's no 'hidden' agendas here so you'll either agree or disagree with the treatment depending upon which side of the 2nd Amendment you camp. There's reasonable tension, and plenty of 'human drama' which some reviewers have labelled tedious, it's just a shame there wasn't a bit more time spent on the action which could've reduced those heckles.
Other reviewers have compared this with Deliverance, and I'd also throw "The No Mercy Man" in there for similar themes at a similar scale. Well-made, but overall impact is disappointingly average.
Robertson's unravelling happens too abruptly, and Borgnine's moral compass seems to be all over the place; one minute he's in, the next he's out, it's hard to keep pace. At least you know where you stand with Henry Silva, so no surprises he's the trigger man whose initial marksmanship either saves or condemns the hunting party to their fate, depending on your perspective.
Aside from a key scene-stealing performance by distinguished stage actress Kate Reid, Helen Shaver makes a brief sultry cameo perhaps just to further emphasise Robertson's immorality, and familiar Canuck thespian Les Carlson is also on-hand for some added firepower and Gung-Ho machismo.
The messages are fairly overt, there's no 'hidden' agendas here so you'll either agree or disagree with the treatment depending upon which side of the 2nd Amendment you camp. There's reasonable tension, and plenty of 'human drama' which some reviewers have labelled tedious, it's just a shame there wasn't a bit more time spent on the action which could've reduced those heckles.
Other reviewers have compared this with Deliverance, and I'd also throw "The No Mercy Man" in there for similar themes at a similar scale. Well-made, but overall impact is disappointingly average.