Hunting Emma (2017) Poster

(2017)

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7/10
A South African Masterpiece!
malhaas-jacobsz18 February 2018
It is movies like this that shows what South African actors are really made of. The movie is based on a book written by South African legend Deon Meyer. The acting is superb, the story is amazing, and it leaves you in awe at the end. A definite must for action/thriller fans.
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7/10
Don't mess with Emma......
s327616923 May 2018
Hunting Emma is one of those "surprises" you come across in cinema once in a while. On first inspection this looks like a "I Spit on Your Grave" knock off. Thankfully, its not.

Better yet its a really enjoyable South African flavoured take on the survivalist horror genre. This film works well first and foremost because its story holds together convincingly well.

There's a well thought out back story that explains Emma's ability to take on what would, for most people, be insurmountable odds. This is married up with Emma's other advantage, her superior knowledge of the environment, which her hunters fail to fully appreciate, until its too late.

There is predictably a lot of violence on offer but what's refreshing is its not overstated or gratuitous. Indeed, the emphasis here is on Emma's survival. She does what she does primarily because she wants to live.

The fight scenes in this film are plentiful, polished and sit comfortably alongside decent gun play, which includes a tongue in cheek nod to Spaghetti Western style showdowns.

If you like the idea of survivalist horror but want something "dialled down" then Hunting Emma is for you. 7/10 from me.
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6/10
TREAT YOUR DAUGHTER AS A SON
rsridhar200511 September 2018
After watching this South African movie, I want to say just just one thing; treat your daughter as a son and teach her to be ruthless with the scums of the society. The lead character Emma, played her part well. No histrionics. Well-made and well-acted character.

While there is nothing new in the story line to rave about, the dreary location suits the mood of the film. Except the main baddie, other actors, as henchmen, are just plain useless. The father character of Emma ambles along, describing her.

Watchable movie. Nothing great, but still worth watching once, especially with your daughter, if you are blessed with one.
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6/10
Entertaining despite predictable
bjornar-182-26035124 September 2018
Though the movieposter itself is a spoiler on what to expect, the movie had its own unique way of keeping the tension throughout the entire film. The storyline is old; nice single person against many bad persons, but the South African spice makes it different than the Hollywood version or the scandinavian for that matter. Afrikaan is the spoken language, and I found myself trying to understand it rather than reading the subtitles. If you like «an underdog» vs «some bad guys» type of movie, and are open to an international interpretation, then you'll like this movie. If you need the constant thrill in Mission impossible and its huge budget to get satisfied, you're better off getting a beer and not watching this film.
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7/10
good chick against bad guies flick
surfisfun9 September 2018
Good cast. above average in the revenge style movie. main actress physical . recommended. enjoy. saw wt English subs.
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4/10
One can only hear so many bad notes during the course of a movie.
S_Soma24 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I watched HUNTING EMMA in Afrikaans with English subtitles.

Simply put, HUNTING EMMA is an example of a "chase" movie, a genre film in which the vast majority of the movie is one long chase scene. For those unfamiliar with the genre, other good examples of this genre are 1971's DUEL or 1991's RUN (back when Patrick Dempsey was just a baby).

Typical for its genre, HUNTING EMMA exhibits all of the classic chase movie characteristics and plot "movements":

1. Movie opens with apparently weak/innocent protagonist going about their life and minding their own business. 2. Mostly through bad luck and wrong-place-wrong-time circumstances, in one specific event or situation, protagonist becomes entangled with bad guy(s) either by witnessing their illegal behavior or accidentally crossing them in some way; the chase begins. 3. Vast majority of movie is spent in one long chase scene with protagonist overcoming long odds by sheer force of will and unwillingness to lay down and die. In variations with more than one bad guy, protagonist manages to kill sub-bad-guys periodically as movie progresses. 4. Climactic scene at the end where protagonist finally kills main antagonist. Protagonist pretty badly beaten-up but victorious.

For viewers obsessed with the notion of newness and originality, HUNTING EMMA offers little to nothing other than little tweaks to the genre: protagonist is female, a rationale is offered to explain protagonists capabilities and determination (childhood training by special forces father), and so on.

A well done chase movie is exciting and satisfying although it won't rise far above your lizard brain in terms of mental stimulation or thought provocation. It's entertainment candy; don't expect anything sophisticated but, hey, it's candy. When it's well-made it's tasty.

HUNTING EMMA teetered on the brink of being excellent but unfortunately it hit enough sour notes to drag down the overall quality of the picture.

As examples:

At points in the movie where we have already established the high level of threat and the fact that the protagonist, Emma, is a much tougher and better trained female than the average bear, Emma repeatedly exhibits out-of-character stupidity. Stopping to drink she completely fails to maintain any sort of situational awareness even though she is aware that deadly threats are not far away. Simply because an enemy is not currently moving, she strolls casually and obliviously by so that they can conveniently reach out and grab her for yet-another-struggle. She tromps loudly through an abandoned building making it easy for her enemy to jump her, and so on.

While allowing a certain margin for poetic license, occasionally HUNTING EMMA seems unable to resist the urge to descend into extremely clumsy and groan-inducing kitsch. There is a "make my day" quote; after bashing a guy with an iron, Emma remarks about how ironing is her favorite kitchen work, and etc. To segue into the dénouement there is even a scene that combines both errors of kitsch and out-of-character stupidity: KNOWING the primary antagonist, armed with a scoped and very powerful rifle, is somewhere nearby, Emma just strolls out of a building without looking and directly in front of the primary antagonist. Unable to resist the opportunity, the primary antagonist doesn't shoot Emma but instead drops his rifle in favor of his pistol so that he and Emma can play out a THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY quick-draw sequence with all the trimmings: cringe-worthy "dramatic" music, interminable close-ups of steely eyes, and a long drawn out death of the bad guy as he just stands there endlessly, then drools out some blood and keels over. Ugh.

Truthfully, HUNTING EMMA really had the potential of being an exceptionally good example of the chase movie genre, and in all honesty through much of the film it does an admirable job. But it does feel like there were some filming days when the director's 8-year-old son took over for dad. If the writer and the director had been able to resist their juvenile urges, HUNTING EMMA would've been excellent rather than passable.
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6/10
Worn out writing
moniqueritley11 September 2018
8/10 for the camera work 3/10 for the writing(cliche) 6/10 for the main actress 4/10 for the rest of the cast 7/10 for her car(he broke down well) 6/10 for the entire movie because mainly the camera work and main actress that got me to finish the movie

As a South African I try not to be bias when it comes to our films but I tend to favour our writing but this storyline has been exhausted by hollywood ,let's try again though,same leading actress,producer and camera crew
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4/10
Nonsense!
House-of_cards23 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Another false preview movie! So you hear gunshots and you run towards the gun sound? The whole story fell apart from the first 20 mins! After that it was a typical familiar story, except in Afrikaans!
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7/10
Minor Flaws but It Held My Attention
nowego8 June 2018
While it has a few flaws, they were minor enough to not detract from the story. I would have scored this an 8 or 9, but some things early in the movie were out of character with the rest of the movie. They just did not sit well with me.

I am not going to give a spoiler about what it was, you will have to watch to see.

I found this to be a really good cat and mouse movie. There have been many in the past, nothing new here, but this one really held my attention.

Other reviewers have pooh poohed the movie for being too slow, for me the pace was fine, it had a good plot and the back story telling was well done and explained things.

Well worth seeing and I would definitely watch it again.
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3/10
Oh dear
pottypat25 May 2018
Not one of SA best efforts. A very plodding pace with much time to digest the scant plot Even at +50% speed it still dragged a bit from one action set piece to the next as the snarling twitching cut out baddies bit the veld. I think the crew must have had fun making it. I have to commend the actors for managing to keep mostly straight faces as they menaced our heroine.
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9/10
One of the best foreign films I've seen!
Top_Dawg_Critic6 July 2018
The wannabe critics are at it again smh... comparing this film to big budget Hollywood blockbusters with A-list actors.

I will critique this film for what it is... an independent low budget foreign B-grade film with C-list no name actors, a novice writer, and a director who's only experience is a TV series and this film. A well deserved 9/10!

Right from the start, the directing of this film could have not been better. It's far superior than most of the big Hollywood experienced directors have been putting out lately. The close ups, angles, capture moments and scenic shots were outstanding. The cinematography was sheer perfection. The acting by almost all cast members, especially Leandie du Randt, was great. The writing could have been tighter, but still decent. The pacing could have been a little faster, but still good enough to hold my attention throughout the entire film. The length was perfect. I'm not a fan of subtitles, but going in knowing this was a foreign film, the lack of too much dialogue made the subtitles bearable.

Overall this film was a fun ride, produced very well. I recommend this film, and go into it knowing it's a low budget foreign film - and not comparing it to Hollywood blockbusters, and you will enjoy this as much as I did!
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7/10
Asthmatic heroine
irishspirit-4910027 October 2020
I enjoyed the movie but found the girl's constant heavy breathing really annoying after a while.
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2/10
You've seen this movie 100 times before - but done better...
jimj4028 March 2020
This film has everything you'd expect: the expected plot, the ham acting, the lazy writing, the one-dimensional characters, the usual bunch of inept baddies for our heroine to whup with no creativity at all, the daddy with no back-story who mysteriously taught his pacifist daughter how to fight but not shoot, the cheesy Fight With The Boss denouement after the henchmen have all been massacred. Don't waste any of your life on watching it - you really won't ever get the time back again and it's too bad to even be funny.
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7/10
Better then most in this genre
pietclausen9 September 2018
There have been quite a number of movies where the hunted turns the tide on the hunters. This one was more realistic and enjoyable to watch. Good acting and dialogue keeps the viewer engrossed without boring parts. For pure escapism you can't go wrong checking this movie out.
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7/10
"Revenge" in South Africa.Also hot but less blood.
peterp-450-2987167 June 2018
"Geweld kweek geweld. Ek wil 'n ou hê wat die ander wang kan draai. 'n Gentle ou. Punt."

Quote from Channel 24 : "Jagveld". The local skop, skiet and donner flick.

It's quite obvious that I'd compare this one with the movie "Revenge", which I've seen recently. Both films take place in a searingly hot desert. Once again it's an innocent, vulnerable young woman who's being chased by some ruthless men. And just like in "Revenge" these macho's soon learn that it's not some stupid blonde chick they are hunting, but a ruthless fighting machine whose father (an ex-soldier) has taught her a few tricks about self-defense and survival techniques. The pursuers are just as stupid and overconfident as in the other mentioned movie. And in "Hunting Emma" there's also a lot of bloodshed.

"Hunting Emma" or "Jagveld" is different from "Revenge" in all kinds of ways. The acting is not of the same level (although you can discuss about whether or not there's some kind of acting in a revenge flick). The amount of blood that flows looks credibe. In short, the victims don't have an inexhaustible blood reserve. The retaliatory actions are reasonably soft. But the main distinction can be found in the used language. I had no idea this was a South African film. You can imagine my surprise when I suddenly realized that I understood quite a bit while watching this film. It's a juicy mixture of weird sounding Dutch and hip English expressions. I have to admit that I really love this South African language.

It all starts when Emma le Roux (Leandie du Randt), a beloved school teacher, is on her way to her father Jacques le Roux (Tertius Meintjes), to enjoy a well-deserved summer vacation. Only disaster strikes on the road when her car breaks down. Coincidentally, this is just near the place where Bosman (Neels van Jaarsveld) and his gang arrived after they've kidnapped a policeman who stopped them for a routine check. I suppose Bosman and his gang are involved in drug smuggling. Anyway, something they want to keep hidden from the local authority. Emma happens to be in the neighborhood cursing at her her car because of a leaking radiator. That's when she hears a shot in the distance. Before she knows it, those kooks are chasing her just so they can shut up this annoying witness for good. It's such a typically composed gang. Bosman, Baz and Jay are the die-hard criminals without any compassion. AJ and Boela are, in my opinion, two wannabe criminals who want to make a quick buck. And Piet (Luan Jacobs) is the wimp of the gang who will mess his pants faster than shooting a real revolver.

Despite the shortcomings, I found the end result admirable. Leandie du Randt convinces as the adamant Emma. Just like Jen in "Revenge" she turns out to be a real Lara Croft who suddenly concocts smart diversions and behaves as a fury while outsmarting her attackers. Among the latter are mainly Neels van Jaarsveld with his psychotic traits and softie Luan Jacobs who excell. Maybe this African film borrowed a bit from other films and as a result won't score high in originality. But it sure radiates Hollywood allure. Karoo film describes the film on their facebook page as follows : " polsende aksie in ware 'Quentin Tarantino-styl' wat die kyker uitdaag" (Pulsating action in true 'Quentin Tarantino-style', challenging the viewer). Brilliant. Nie?

More reviews here : http://movie-freak.be
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5/10
Some good features but flawed as a serious film
ok_english_bt24 May 2018
I hadn't realized the film was South African and made in the Afrikaans language, so that certainly added interest. 'Hunting Emma' was beautifully set and shot in the Karoo desert (?), with great cinematography and acting by the leads Neels van Jaarsveld (as Bosman, the gang leader), Bouwer Bosch (Jay, one of his main henchmen) and Leandie du Randt (Emma Le Roux, a teacher on holiday who gets caught up in events), generally supported well by the other cast members.

But let's not blind ourselves to some of the film's flaws. The criminals were implausibly bad, which I think is a mistake of the plot and script. More details need to be built into the story to allow the events to unfold believably, otherwise the film just loses credibility. They could have done a lot more with the original story, if indeed Deon Meyer's book was good enough for that (presumably, it was, I haven't read it). The spaghetti/Tarantino-esque ending at the end was fun but bordering on farce.

So, some good features, but flawed, more a novelty than serious film.
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7/10
Anything can be used as a weapon
nogodnomasters23 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Emma (Leandie du Randt) is a mild mannered elementary school teacher in South Africa. She leaves for summer break. She had just broken up with her boyfriend because he hit another man in the face in defense. She is a pacifist. On her way to her dad's home, her car breaks down in the veld and she happens to witness drug dealers killing a police officer. Emma goes on the run from the dealers who want to rape and kill her...and then she goes Uma Thurman all over them.

This is similar to many films out there, especially if they have "spit" in the title, except the rape was unsuccessful...sorry for the spoiler. Nothing spectacular but not a bad film.

English subtitles

Guide: F-word. Near rape. No nudity.
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1/10
Rip off of Revenge movie. And in a much worse state.
roganovic21 September 2018
Its a copy of Revenge movie. I dont have what to say. I mean Revenge is ok movie you watch once. So imagine this what is a copy of a OK film. Dont waste your time like i did. Started could not finish it till end. She is a survivor and kills them all. But acting is poor, cutscenes, camera job effects.... you clear can see its a low budget movie.
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6/10
Good vengeance thriller.
paulclaassen17 June 2018
Hail to Byron Davis for making this very non-typical South African film, which was a breath of fresh air. This is one of the very few vengeance films from South Africa and I enjoyed how brutal and unsympathetic this was.

The set-up of Emma's character was so ironic of what was to come, and very effective, actually. The photography was very good, as well as the cinematography. It was really beautifully shot. This film also proves movies can be so much better if shot on location instead of constant use of blue or green screens. Learn from this, Hollywood!! I enjoyed the fact that our protagonist also got tired, and was not portrayed as a super hero. She remained vulnerable throughout. Neels van Jaarsveld was very good as antagonist Bosman.
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2/10
Let down flick
amgee-8955115 June 2018
It was such a let down film. It was boring at times. The acting was average. It's definitely a one time watch for me. The film pacing was really slow. It only got abit good in the last 30 mins of the film. 2/10
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10/10
A Standout Film
slatinmotogear12 July 2022
Back in '64, Cornel Wilde gave a career-defining performance in "The Naked Prey." This film is similar; a survivor, multiple opponents, and a setting that takes everything and gives little. The human will to survive in a gentle, beautiful young woman facing rough odds. Go Emma!
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6/10
functional exploitation
SnoopyStyle30 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In South Africa, school teacher Emma LeRoux is on vacation still bitter from a heart-wrenching breakup. She's a strict pacifist and her ex got into a fight. Her car breaks down on the way to her military father's farm. She is taken by a violent criminal gang and witnesses the murder of a police officer.

This is basic exploitation fare. A few deficiencies do detract. First, the dad shouldn't find her car so early. He can present the information in other ways. When he finds her car, it becomes a possibility that he would come to the rescue. It's better for tension and for the premise to have her alone facing overwhelming odds. There are other little annoying things like why would Emma climb down off the cliff top only to be jumped by the guy. It's unreal that she wouldn't throw a bunch of rocks on his head. It should be raining rocks. The water is a nice touch and at least, it's something new. She does do the same move twice challenging their man-hoods for them to drop their superior weapons. Once is fine but twice is repeating. As for the reformation of the pacifist concept, I don't care. It's certainly not good enough to change anybody mind. It might be good to show the boyfriend's fight for context. Overall, this is functional exploitation but it's not shocking enough to be great.
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1/10
Worst acting ever
butravi5 January 2019
The actors seem to be doing acting as if its a job, and often just bored and following instructions. In a scene, where 2 characters are fighting, trying to kill each other (supposedly), but its done so pretentiously slowly, that the viewers will cringe at lousy acting than feel part of a movie. The pace of movie is so slow, that realistically this 105 minutes movie is a pain to watch.
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4/10
The Same revenge film but with in South Africa
alcas-873122 November 2019
I expected a lot of action and kick ass moments in this film and there were some but it took a camel to get there! Visually impressive and the setting itself look stunning however nothing that I haven't seen in other revenge flicks before. The characters were as usual in these sort of films; the main "boss" (it's funny cause the main antagonist is literally named Bosman), the guy who obeys (Baz), the wimp (Piet, in this case), the guy who specks up against "Boss" guy (AJ) and the guy who wants to touch the females (don't remember the character's name). All labels at a grocery market with no personality or charm just "evil people worse than animals"(as the father of the main protagonist states). The disappointing part is the fact that it took itself less serious towards the end with the main antagonist Bosman facing off Emma in a shootout reminiscent of spaghetti westerns but by then I didn't gave single damn. If it were a bit more like the third act throughout most of the time I would've probably given it a higher score.
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5/10
Reminds me of 1980s Russian films.
mjsreg20 September 2018
The story starts OK then becomes ridiculous fairly quickly - it is certainly entertaining - but for the wrong reasons considering it isn't billed as a comedy - and isn't that funny, but has plenty of cringes and 'oh dear' moments.

It tries to be something it doesn't deliver on - some kind of revenge action movie.

There will be times when you think 'that isn't likely' or 'that's just ridiculous' and you would be right.

The acting is about average for this type of movie. None of the characters stand out as being exceptionally portrayed. They exist and that is about it.

I really don't know where the high ratings come from or how they are justified.

It's not a bad film to watch for a bit of fun, but that's it.
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