THE HUNT (2012) – The Review

A staple of the movie thriller has been the story of a person falsely accused. Suspense and drama are revved up as the hero (or heroine) pursues and tries to expose the true culprit all while trying to avoid those true criminals and the agents of law enforcement. It’s a theme that Alfred Hitchcock exploited in some of his greatest thrillers: SABOTEUR, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and one that was based on a true life story, THE WRONG MAN. Almost twenty years ago the feature film version of the TV classic THE FUGITIVE was a box office smash. Now, from the distant land of Denmark comes Thomas Vinterberg’s take on this popular theme, THE HUNT. But unlike our Dr. Richard Kimball, Mad Mikkelsen’s Lucas has not been convicted of a crime, so he’s not on the run. Indeed there’s been no crime at all, but almost  everyone in his whole town believes that he’s an evil monster.

Lucas (Mikkelsen) has had a rough last couple of years. His wife divorced him and left with their pre-teen son. Then the high school where he taught shuttered its doors. Luckily he was able to transfer to the grade school and now works mainly as a playground monitor. That’s where he meets the lovely, exotic Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport) who soon shares his home, so things are getting better. Then the best news of all. His son Marcus wants to come live with him. This delights his close circle of friends, mostly the married fathers of the village. The best pal of Lucas may be Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen), a hard-drinking father of two. Theo’s sweet little daughter Klara (Annika Wedderkopp) attends kindergarten at Lucas’s school. Unfortunately she’s often neglected by her bickering parents. One day her teenage brother and one his pals shove a laptop with pornographic images in front of her face. But Lucas is kind to her and walks her home after her parents forget to pick her up from school. We then see Klara making a Valentine card for him. The next day, as Lucas tries to get up from a floormat, Klara jumps on his chest and kisses him full on the lips. Lucas is stunned. After noticing the card, he tells her that kissing is inappropriate and that she should give the card to a classmate or her parents. Later the school’s principal sees Klara sitting alone in a darkened classroom. When asked what is wrong, the little girl expresses her dislike of Lucas and repeats some of the sexual jargon she had heard from her older brother and his buddy. This sends the principal into a frenzy. Counselors are called in to question Klara. Parents are alerted and Lucas is suspended. The innocent man’s promising new start is cut short as the town’s citizens, including her closest friends, shun him. Soon his very life is in jeopardy. Will no one  listen and believe in him?

Mikkelsen may be best known for the nefarious characters he’s played in CASINO ROYALE and as the title character on NBC’s “Hannibal” TV series, but here we get to see him as, more or less, an “average Joe”. For a brief time he’s on top of the world until that world comes crashing down upon him in an instant. But he’s never wallowing in self-pity. Lucas doen’t loses his dignity and his sense of justice. In one tense sequence he is physically tossed out of the local grocery. Without a trial, he’s banned and then beaten. Lucas knows he’s in the right and will not let the superior numbers drag him down. Never does he lose his humanity either. He bears no anger toward the confused Klara. Wedderkopp gives a heartbreaking performance as the sweet angel who unknowingly puts Lucas through Hell. We see her trying to formulate her answers as her principal and the counselor prod and attempt to lead her through the interrogation. It’s impossible for the audience not to feel anything but sympathy for this exploited innocent. Another young actor, Lasse Folgelstrom is powerful as Lucas’s outraged young son Marcus. He’s angry about the treatment of his Dad and impulsively believes he can make things right. Kudos also to Larsen as the simple Theo, who knows Lucas perhaps best of all. While his wife and friends rage about him, Theo cannot toss aside his faith in his spiritual brother. This wonderful cast helps make this harrowing story even more compelling.

Vinterberg keeps the tension taut as we see the hysteria in the town grow out of control. Often it reminded me of the gripping recent documentary CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS with the notion that “children never lie” taken to a most horrific extreme. He’s able to really zero in on the intimate moments particularly early as Lucas and his friends bond over many beverages (and some icy skinny-dipping). His screenplay with Tobias Lindholm lets the story progress at a natural pace. It doesn’t really falter till the final act with an odd, uncomfortable church holiday concert and a final flash forward. But the last minutes before the final fade out make us want to continue to follow the journey of Lucas. This is a powerful examination of a quaint village that turns against one of their own. It leaves you pondering the question, “What would I do?”.

4 Out of 5 Stars

THE HUNT screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas