Blumhouse Productions – purveyors of subversive social commentaries like Get Out and The Purge films – presents this satirical and at times shocking take on America’s culture wars, taking aim at everyone from left to right; online conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers, right-wing firebrands, insensitive corporate CEOs, bleeding-heart liberals. These are the types of divisions that have been turbocharged in recent times through social media and given extra credence under the presidency of Donald Trump. In another adaption of The Most Dangerous Game, this pits rich elites against so-called ‘deplorables’ at Hilary Swank’s ranch in Croatia. Betty Gilpin (from Netflix series GLOW) plays one of the hunted who turns on her captors, clashing in violent bursts of gun play, knife fights and gore. The story initially unfolds in a series of clever reveals, constantly disorientating the viewer, and the filmmakers do well to keep the tone both gripping and darkly funny. Despite its confronting premise, the film’s message is ultimately inconclusive, unsure of the point it’s trying to make. This didn’t stop Trump tweeting about the film, accusing it of inflaming chaos and calling “Liberal Hollywood” “racist” in the process. Universal ultimately ended up pulling the theatrical release of the film.
- Country: United States
- Action Director: Hank Amos, Heidi Moneymaker, Jeff Brockton
- Directed by: Craig Zobel
- Starring: Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Wayne Duvall
- Produced by: Damon Lindelof, Jason Blum
- Written by: Damon Lindelof, Nick Cuse
- Studio: Blumhouse Productions, Dentsu