The Hunt (2020)

  I can't decide if I liked this or not.  It is very smug and not nearly as clever as it thinks it is, but I can't tell if that makes it entertaining or not.  I'm going to have to re-watch it at a later date and see.

Twelve strangers wake up in a field with no memory of how they got there.  Their only connection is that they posted online about Manorgate, a right-wing conspiracy about leftists hunting people for sport.  

Is is satire or is it just hate-bait?  Is it satire of hate-bait?  I don't know.  I only remember it came out at the same time as Ready or Not, there were a lot of comparisons being made, and this got worse reviews.  I wasn't going to see it (it wasn't even on my list) but Tyler came downstairs and said he wanted to watch it.  I thought he was talking about the Willem Dafoe movie, The Hunter, until it was too late.

I do like Betty Gilpin and she is very good at being deadpan but still expressive.  Somebody needs to put her and Ryan Gosling in a movie together.  It is a violent slasher film and it mostly ticks the right boxes for creativity and gore.  The only thing that I'm on the fence about is the tone.  It's so hard to nail both-sides satire without losing a point-of-view. (Because just pointing fingers and saying "see, everyone sucks" isn't a point-of-view.  It's a cop-out.)  There are really funny moments, especially the final fight, but that comes down to performances more than script.  Like I said, I'll have to give it another shot later.

It's currently available to stream on Peacock but only with their premium tier.