Superstar legend Steve McQueen’s final film was based on the real-life exploits of Ralph ‘Papa’ Thorson, chronicled in a book by Christopher Keane and adapted into a screenplay. At the time of its’ release, THE HUNTER was not regarded as one of McQueen’s best and a faded addition to a filmography that included the likes of BULLITT, THE GETAWAY, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and the original 1968 version of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR.
Still, this mix of action and relationship, in which Thorson has to deal with impending fatherhood from a baby with his partner Dotty (Kathryn Harrold, RAW DEAL), reminds us of why McQueen was so special on screen, with some pretty good action sequences, notably a chase on board a Chicago elevated train, a common location and McQueen doing his own stunts at one point in a quite tense sequence reminiscent of THE FRENCH CONNECTION in style.
One suspects that the original novel could have been fleshed out into a broader screenplay and there is more scope for a bigger and better movie, but what is on show is pretty entertaining.