Hounded – Frightfest Movie Review
Director: Tommy Boulding
Writer: Ray Bogdanovich, Dean Lines (Screenplay)
Cast
- Samantha Bond (GoldenEye)
- Malachi Pullar-Latchman
- James Lance (Bel Ami)
- Hannah Traylen (Boiling Point)
- Nick Moran (Avengement)
Plot: A stately home robbery takes an evil turn one night when a gang of young thieves are caught by the owners of the house and then hunted across the estate for the proprietor’s entertainment
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Hounded starts as Chaz (Pullar-Latchman) and his crew Vix (Traylen), Leon (Junior) and Todd (Coles) rob stately manor homes. Chaz wants to walk away from the life of crime, but it talked into one more job. As the group enter the home, the residents reveal themselves to be hidden in the home. They taser the thieves and release them into the countryside.
As the four are released, they discover they have become the latest targets in a twisted hunting game for Katherine Redwick (Bond) and her family. The four must band together to escape the hunt or take a stand and fight back.
Verdict on Hounded
Characters
Chaz is the leader of a small group of thieves, he has only been in this world until he can pay for his brother’s education. He keeps the jobs simple and is about to walk away before accepting one last job. Chaz uses his smarts to keep the jobs simple, including this latest one, get in and get out. He looks to guide his friends to safety after they become captured.
Chaz has a loyal crew, Leon, Vix and Todd who follow his rules to get the job done. On the run, he thinks one step ahead of the hunters. The crew have their strengths and weaknesses which are shown in their unity.
Katherine Redwick is leading the family hunt, it is her home that gets broken into and it is her yearly tradition to hunt. She remains calm when things don’t get to plan and remains determined to complete the traditions.
In the supporting characters, we get the rest of the hunters. It is played out like a teaching method for the youngest member of the group. Others of the group start showing their impatience, explaining why Katherine is the leader.
Performances
Malachi Pullar-Latchman is great in the leading role, he shows the leadership skills needed for the role and the loyalty his character has. He shows good chemistry with the rest of the crew Hannah Traylen, Nobuse Junior and Ross Coles.
Samantha Bond is a delight to watch as the lead hunter, she brings the rich entitled character to life. The calmness she brings to the table adds plenty to the movie too.
Story
The story follows a group of thieves that find the tables turned on them, as they become the latest game in the rich family’s hunt.
One of the easiest films to compare this to would be ‘Don’t Breathe’ without a twisted turn of events. The idea that the thieves have everything turned on them and need to run and survive is seen in this. Having the hunt taking place in the open countryside during the day is interesting. As it shows the horror of being hunted down like in ‘The Hunt’ without having the cover of darkness.
There is also a clear message about walking away when you have a chance and not pushing your luck. This is seen in the Chaz character who was reluctant about this latest job.
Themes
Hounded is an action horror that blends ‘The Hunt’ and ‘Don’t Breathe’ together to bring us an open area hunt on thieves. The open countryside shows different obstacles the group must overcome to survive while having the dogs hunt them down. There seems to be a poke at the rich who like fox hunting, with this having the message that they will find a way around the bans.
Where to Watch: Signature Entertainment presents Hounded on Digital Platforms on 31st October
Final Thoughts – Hounded is an unsettling human hunting movie.
