The movie “Hunted” or “Hounded” is directed by Tommy Boulding and authored by Ray Bogdanovich and Dean lines. The movie features the likes of Samantha Bond (Katherin Redwick), Malachi Pullar (Chaz), James Lance (Hugo Redwick), Hannah Traylen (Vix), Nick Moran (Mallory,) James Faulkner (Remington Redwick), Larry Lamb(Gregory), Nobuse Jr. (Leon) and Ross Coles (Tod). The movie is no doubt a must-watch for thrill-lovers.
The movie hit theatres worldwide on 26th October and demonstrates the aristocratic discrimination and racism practiced towards the lower-working class people. Centuries ago, to display their dominance and authority, aristocrats used to hunt animals and, likewise, humans. Soon, it was transformed into a tradition and even passed down to future generations. The movie likewise centers around a group of friends who’re being hunted by a ruthless, aristocratic household. The movie focuses on a gang of four, which entails twins Leon and Chaz, Vix, the genius who can open any safe, and Tod. The group steals expensive antiques and sells them to old Gregory for profit. Gregory is also an accomplice who provides the group with the address of his rich clients and sells the goods back in the black market. Leon serves as the group’s leader and has only joined the group to pay for his brother’s tuition, whilst Vix’s and Tod’s motivations are still unknown.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The ‘Hunted’ Movie?
The movie opens up with the group breaking inside a house to steal an antique painting while the house owner and his mistress are out at a party, leaving the house completely unattended. The group finds the painting and brings it to Gregory to get paid. Old man Gregory offers the group to earn a score of a lifetime and provides them with an address for their next antique hunt. Enamored by the prospect of hitting the jackpot, the group agrees. The group then arrives at the address, and Vix uses her skills to break into the massive estate. What looked like a simple “Snatch and Grab” at first later turned out to be much more sinister. In reality, the owner Lady Katherine Redwick, and her bodyguard Mallory were already waiting for the group. All four of them are caught and later transported to a mysterious place for an insane hunt. We know instantly something is wrong because if someone finds thieves breaking into their house, they’ll call the police, not attack them and transfer them to some weird place to participate in some strange game.
Kill Or Be Killed
The car drops everyone in the wilderness with their hands tied. The group uncuffed themselves and began looking for the highway to get help. Suddenly they find themselves being tracked by sniffer dogs and their strange armed men riding horses. This exemplifies a time-honoured aristocratic custom of chasing and executing people of the lower-working class. The classic cat-and-mouse game begins, and we see the group running through fields, bushes, and woods, trying to save their lives. The two sides face each other on the river bank, where Katherine tells them that the lowlings like themselves deserve to be chased and killed, and the aristocrats have taken that job upon themselves. Katherine is a rich and racist aristocrat who believes that money bestows her with unrestricted powers. She thinks that it’s her birthright to hunt and kill the lower working-class people whenever her heart desires. According to her, the world is plagued by poor people and needs to be purified.
The hunting continues, and Leon is mauled by Katherine’s vicious dogs but barely survives. After regaining consciousness, Leon questions Katherine about her intentions. Katherine tells him that men like him were born to be “chased and killed,” and she is just making the world a better place. Katherine firmly believes that the world would be much better and developed when free of lower-working-class people. She then slits Leon’s throat with her ancestral knife, killing him instantly. The knife is like an ancestral heirloom that is passed down to future generations. She then induces her nephew, Miles, with Leon’s blood and gives him the knife, and asks to keep the long-running tradition alive. On the other hand, devastated by Leon’s death, Vix, Chaz, and Tod agree to exact revenge.
The group decides to split, and Tod decides to distract Katherine and her men while Vix and Chaz look for shelter and help. Soon, Vix and Chaz come across a farm and break into a house to take shelter and food, while Tod is involved in a wild goose chase with Katherine. Sadly, Hugo and Miles manage to locate Vix and Chaz by following the footprints that lead them to the old farm. Cornered and outgunned, Chaz decides to blow up the house by slashing a gas pipe and throwing in a foil in the microwave to burst. The ensuing blast kills Miles and severely wounds Hugo. Soon afterwards, Hugo and Tod get into a bloody battle and stab each other to death.
The air has changed, and now it’s the lower-working class hunting the aristocrats.
‘Hunted’ Ending Explained: Did Vix And Chaz Survive The Mayhem?
Towards the climax, both Chaz and Vix kill Mallory and Remington when they refuse to surrender. The duo then gets the car keys and speeds up towards the highway but is soon met with a collision. Vix is severely injured and breathes her last in Chaz’s lap after running some distance. Chaz is completely heartbroken and disappointed seeing his friends perish one by one in front of his eyes. Chaz wants to kill everyone but realizes that he is outnumbered and needs help to take down Katherine. Chaz finds himself at the end of Redwick Estate and enters a small hamlet. He takes shelter in a nearby cafe but is chased by the locals who also believe in Katherine’s ideology. Soon once again, he tries to outrun the masses and eventually stumbles onto a police cruiser, but the officers escort him back to Katherine’s residence, and we realize that even the law officials are Katherine’s pawns.
Chaz faces Katherine for the final time and apologizes for entering her ancestral house. Katherine grins and congratulates him for winning the game, and offers him a bag filled with money. Chaz threatens to tell the world of her mad deeds, but Katherine rejects him by saying that “no one would believe a thief.” Chaz takes the blood money and drives away in the van. In the post-credit scene, we see uncle Gregory getting arrested for dealing with stolen antiques and Chaz watching from afar, implying that he’s the one who tipped the cops. The post-credits scene hints towards a sequel and maybe will see Chaz once again taking up arms against Kathrine and her aristocratic friends.
Katherine is a wealthy aristocratic woman enjoying unrestricted political support, and she often exploits this power and authority for her entertainment. She is likewise tough as, towards the conclusion, we see her chasing both Vix and Chaz alone into the woods. Many enjoy power, but it’s the utilization of power that decides right or wrong. The final confrontation between Chaz and Katherine says a lot about her character. Even after the death of her brother and nephew, she chooses to continue the game rather than mourn their loss. She revealed to Chaz that the “hunt” has been going on for centuries and will continue still. Katherine wasn’t always like this, but rather she was brainwashed by her ancestors just like she convinced Miles that they were doing the necessary evil. She saw her parents killing innocent working-class people and is continuing their legacy after their death. She sees the hunt as a game and strictly adheres to the rules, even if it means losing or sacrificing her own people. Chaz is also a calculated man and knows when to speak and react. Even after losing his friends, he kept his cool and didn’t give up. He knew that he was outnumbered and couldn’t bring the Redwick family to justice alone. Maybe that’s why he took the money and will later deal with Katherine in his own way, and he has already dealt with Gregory, who sold him and his friends to the Redwicks. The director wants to show how the rich and wealthy misuses their power and often deem themselves superior to others. It is the lower working class that has always been looted and exploited.
“Hunted” is a 2022 horror thriller film directed by Tommy Boulding.
