Movie Reviews

‘Night of the Hunted’ review: Tense thriller able to skirt a fine line

Almost loses its way.

October 21, 2023

Filling up for gas is not something most of us spend much time thinking about. Aside from complaining about the price, it is just something you do. Night of the Hunted places Alice (Camille Rowe, Cosmic Dawn) in one instance that does make a person rethink stopping. A remote gas station at night. To make matters worse, a sniper with a vendetta prevents her from going anywhere. As she dodges bullets, she also tries to figure out who wants her dead and why.

The premise is a frightening scenario that is realistic, if extreme. Call it relatable escapism; a situation that is familiar enough for audiences to understand, but wild enough to not scare people away from watching. The ingredients are there for an engaging watch. The question becomes for how long?

Night of the Hunted never feels stale thanks to a script that constantly keeps anyone watching guessing. As the night progresses, more hints are dropped and it is clear the mysterious person knows Alice. Soon the comments turn to vaccines and cancel culture. At first, these are a little worrisome. There have been enough stories that have defined heroes and villains by simply using politics and topical issues. It often comes off as lazy and forced.

Thankfully, that is not the case here. There is a little bit of “they believe this, so they must be a bad person”, but everything said does go back to Alice. The statements in Night of the Hunted are more than just trolling or pandering. That being said, the writers walk a very thin line with the movie coming dangerously close to losing its edge in favor of generic messaging.

Franck Khalfoun is able to walk things back before Night of the Hunted goes completely off the rails. Tension remains high the entire movie and the climax is brutal and ties everything together. It can get a little long winded at times, but it the exciting story keeps things interesting.