The Hunted (1995) User Reviews

For a B-flick, better than you'd think

[pclem70 · 7/10 · 12 December 2004]

Most of Christopher Lambert's filmography reads like a guide to B-movie hell. I got conned into watching this by a friend years ago, and will be forever grateful. The story is solid, Lambert turns in an almost-acceptable performance, and most of the rest of the cast does well. My favorite thing about the movie is the (by martial arts flick standards) realism. The gaijin does not miraculously learn to swing a sword like a samurai in a matter of weeks, months, or ever. The action sequences are exciting and fairly well-executed (by 1990's b-movie standards, at least), particularly a ninjas vs samuri scene on a Japanese bullet train. Some of the characters have a bit of complexity, there are a few little plot twists, and the character interaction is often believable. They also answer that age-old question "who'd win a fight between a middle-aged ex-athlete with a few months of kendo training and a ninja who's just lost an arm and leg"? (Lamberts's character is a former fencer turned businessman, but that bit's cut out of the home video/DVD version, as is the monologue by Kinjo the ninja, which helps to serve---in part, at least, as an explanation as to why this movie, set in Japan, has almost an entirely Chinese cast). If you're in the mood for an fun, entertaining, semi-intelligent B-action flick, I whole-heartedly recommend this one.

Oddly enough, the writer of "Pretty Woman" wrote and directed this flick, which may explain why my wife liked it, too. Of course, the same guy did a flick called "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death".

A ninja movie as it should be

[bastiaan0740 · 7/10 · 7 October 2008]

People should realize there is a difference between ninja movies and action movies. They aren't necessarily one and the same. And this, my friends, is a ninja movie. Sure, there are fights and violence to be found, but they don't give a 'Hollywood' feel to it. Especially the train scene comes to mind, where the ninja's decide to kill everybody in order to leave no witnesses. It's calculated, and it gives a sense of murder and terrorism to it instead of action. The victims aren't generic enemies, they're real people. A lot of care is put into the realism. Cops show up after a murder scene to investigate. How often have we seen a ninja movie where ninja's or people are killed, without that ever happening? The whole movie involves ploy and strategy, leading to the fight scenes. Christopher Lambert receives sword training and his enemy is wounded before the final fight, to give Lambert a realistic underdog chance to win. There's nothing 'romantic' about his training like, say, Van Damme in kickboxer. Lambert is scared and clinging to every edge he can find to live, whilst most of the samurai consider him worthless.

I first went into this movie expecting an action flick, and was disappointed. Then, I watched it again, and realized it was great. The movie deserves credit for staying true to the formula.

American confrontation...

[fmarkland32 · 7/10 · 31 July 2006]

Christopher Lambert stars as a businessman who witnesses the slaying of a woman (Joan Chen) who he had just slept with, when the ninja (John Lone) is spotted face and all, the ninja stops at nothing to kill Lambert and it's only a rival ninja clan which teaches Lambert how to defend himself and win in a sword fight, Sean Connery of course is nowhere to be found this time. Lambert has a weird charisma about him, he really isn't that strong of an actor but for some reason he is able to get us to watch him and his screen presence almost always makes his hero generally more interesting than a musclebound action star who projects little sympathy. Lambert comes off rather vulnerable and the villains he's up against are no slouches either. They are ruthless SOBs, for instance they actually slaughter a train of innocent by standers all because they don't want any witnesses. This includes old people, children, mothers you name it they bit the big one. In theaters this was an experience which shocked a lot of us and the crowd I was with, were prepared for brutal action. The Hunted works as a Ninja actioner and is generally better polished than almost anything made in the 80's. It's slick, brutal and overall a fast paced actioner which in the end, is all we ask for.

* * * out of 4-(Good)

How far can a code of honor go?

[altea · 19 February 1999]

"The Hunted" is one of those movies that tries to give you an insight in the Japanese code of honor. So when a western business-man, a witness in the murder of a call-girl, becomes the hunted, the question arise "How far can a code of honor go?". What struck me in this movie is the excellent use of the Japanese scenery i.c. Tokyo, the bullit-trains, the temples, the ninja way of life...The score is by the heart beat drummers Kodo. A great action packed movie with a lot of tension in a very beautiful package! Don't lose your head!

NEARLY A MASTERPIECE

[staunton-jb · 7/10 · 8 November 2018]

Wow! What a great film. It's beautiful and interesting and action packed and very entertaining. It is wonderful. A well thought out film. Loved it! Maybe a different actor instead of CL might have lifted it to a higher place? But it's still great!

Ninja film in which a Samurai couple helps an American executive against a sect led by a nasty warrior

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 22 December 2012]

Samurai movie with well staged scenes , colorful ambient , professionally directed and Japan set . The story starts with a quote by Daidoh Yuzan , 16th Century : ¨One who is a Samurai must before all things keep constantly in mind . By day by night..the fact that he has to die¨. It deals with Paul (Christopher Lambert) a computer-chip executive from New York travels to Tokyo , there he finds a gorgeous Japanese girl (Joan Chen) . After that , he inadvertently interrupting his meeting by a killing . As he is now the only man to have seen the figure of the cult's warrior-chief (John Lone) named Makato and nobody has survived after seeing his face , as he soon realizes that he is taking on a markedly foreshortened life-expectancy . Then , he joins forces with a friendly samurai couple (Harada and Shimada) who helps him . Later on , at a speed train takes place a violent face off between Ninja-sect hoodlums and Sensei , his wife along with Paul ; the result is an astonishing massacre . Ultimately , Paul recuperating on an island-fortress and learning about life and sword-play . Finally , there occurs the definitive final duel between Ninjas from Makato clan and Takeda faction .

This Ninja film packs bloody swordplay , spectacular martial-arts and noisy action sequences . This is a colourful , mostly filmed in Japan and medium budget movie ; leave no cliché untouched , though the rife fighting is magnificently staged . Amid the glamour of the scenarios is developed an intrigue about feud among Japanese factions , a two-centuries-old blood-confrontation with the Ninja and Takeda clan , including betrayal , crime and exploring the dark side of vengeance . Overwhelming and rousing fights with deadly use of Katanas , feet and palms , along with such weapons as swords , sticks , lances and ¨Shuriken¨. It contains usual learning period in which the naive businessman learns a little about courage, honor, love, swordsmanship and loyalty . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises , climatic combats and groundbreaking struggles . Passable acting by Christopher Lambert as a businessman who finds himself struggling to survive in the wrong place at the wrong time , and John Lone is good as a feared Ninja chief . And enjoyable couple formed by Yoshio Harada as Takeda Sensei and Yôko Shimada as Mieko Takeda . Nice production design with exterior shots of the train were filmed on location on Japan, however, the interior shots were filmed on a set at Bridge Studios in Vancouver, B.C. ; the scenery rushing by outside the windows was simulated using large rotating drums with "blurred" scenery painted on it . Colorful cinematography by Jack Conroy , full of red shades and bright images . Monotonous and syncopated musical score by means of continuous drum sounds .

The motion picture produced in moderated budget was well directed by J.F. Lawton, though with no originally . He wrote a number of feature film scripts including one called "Three Thousand", which was selected by the Sundance Institute , Touchstone Pictures purchased the script and later he changed the title to Pretty Woman (1990). He also wrote a script for Blankman (1994) , Chain reaction (1996) and DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), a film based on the huge video game series success of the same name . After that , he then wrote and directed Jackson (2008), a failed comedy-drama-musical . ¨The hunted¨ turns out to be one an acceptable film , including exciting attacks and groundbreaking fighting perfectly staged , the result is a strong entry for action buffs

Typical action flick that suffers from poor fight scenes

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 3/10 · 25 April 2006]

Paul Racine is an American executive on a business trip in Tokyo. One evening he meets a woman in a bar and after a one night stand she is murdered by a legendary ninja cult. Paul sees the ninja leader's face and they try to kill him, but he manages to somehow survive and finds himself a man marked for death. He soon meets a mysterious martial arts teacher and his wife who fill him in on what is really going on... an ancient and bloody feud.

The pretty dull story idea could have been forgivable due to the fight scenes, however for such a martial arts/ninja centered action movie they are actually as dull as the story. Choppily edited, often with obvious jump-cuts, the action scenes just end up being slew of ruthless carnage that manages to knock off all non-significant characters in addition to the bad-guys. The two-dimensional acting and character development don't help out either.

The only thing that stands out in a good way is the limited comic relief of a drunken sword-maker and the use of Japanese music and not a pounding rock soundtrack - it manages to place the film in its actual setting, but in the end, the film is just a poorly made bloody mess. 3/10

Rated R for brutal violence

Don't be confused by negative reviews

[harrissajjids · 6/10 · 12 December 2010]

Thouh not a movie of captivating interest but has some good scenes. Especially train scene is marvelous.Suspense is arose after every important incident. Film has some flaws but these can be easily ignored. The performance of man with long hair and shining sword is impressive. Film can be watched but you must not compare it with classics like T2, Pulp Action. It is entirely different movie. I will give it at least six out of ten. You cannot be bored while watching it. It is the only movie in which I was able to tolerate Christopher. It is a bit more real in theme as compare to some idiot science fictions. I think if you want to see some good movie, it is a must see but I repeat again, do not expect much from the film. If you do not expect a standard of T2, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings then it will do fairly well.

Painful to watch ......

[merklekranz · 1/10 · 22 May 2020]

"The Hunted" is a good example of a movie that goes on way passed it's welcome. This almost two hour debacle is beyond tedious, and the ending so protracted and ridiculous, you will be praying for the credits to roll. Christopher Lambert is the fish out of water caught up in all this nonsense, and he looks very much as confused as the long suffering viewer. You have been warned that this Samurai sword fest is unbearable, with a totally confusing script, characters we care nothing about, chopping each other to pieces. Meaningless. with zero redeeming factors, and an unbearable running time. Avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid, avoid. ......................................................................................... MERK

OK actioner with swordfights. But not quite Shogun Assassin!

[Bogey Man · 6/10 · 12 May 2002]

This film, The Hunted, is written and directed by the guy (J. F. Lawton) who wrote us the first Under Siege movie with Steven Seagal, directed by Andrew Davis. The Hunted stars Christopher Lambert who was OK in Highlander by Russell Mulcahy and who is not too bad action star. The Hunted is not a great movie but it should satisfy action fans, especially mainstream action fans.

Chris is an American businessman visiting Japan and he sees the secret face of a masterful assassin, somekind of a yakuza cult member/leader. Soon Christopher finds himself in the middle of bloody and fastly edited swordfights and understands that his life is what they want. He gets some help from a rival "gang" and now they must destroy the evil clan that is on their tail..

There is one extremely suspenceful sequence in a train, which is filled with evil ninjas and so no passenger is safe. The train goes fast and there's no way to escape. That sequence is a highlight of this film and proves that the director can direct great action scenes if he wants to. The film runs pretty long, approximately 1h 50 min in NTSC speed, but there are no significantly irritating boring moments and the film is easy to sit through.

We are not talking about a classic picture but it is nice to see that these kinds of films were still made by big studios in USA as "recently" as 1995. The fights are often bloody but not too bloody. If one is bored with PG13 crap and stupid films which try to make money as much as possible, then I suggest trying this film for example. And fans on Seagal, Damme and other action kickers/fighters should also like the often nihilistic attitude of The Hunted.

6/10 and I recommend this to action film fanatics especially!

Incredible stupid movie!

[chrichtonsworld · 3/10 · 17 October 2010]

When viewing "The Hunted" you wonder who this movie is meant for. It could not be action fans since the action scenes are horrible. Sure there is a lot of blood. But none of the fighters showed any extraordinary skill. Here you have this so called ninja who has to kill this woman (Joan Chen) and in stead of just doing so he takes his time and asks her how she wants to be killed. Not only that he even shows his face to her.(Which of course is always a big no no for an assassin.) You might think that he is a decent ninja. When she answers him to die slowly with a lot of pain he says he is under orders to do it quickly so he can't fulfill her request. And all this portrayed by the same man who played the last Emperor of China. Good god,and this is only in the first ten minutes. Christopher Lambert is a witness to this killing and has seen John Lone's face. These super skilled ninja's failed to kill him off and they chase him. Lambert gets help from a samurai but only to use him as bait. Now the most ridiculous thing is that everything is taken so seriously. But how could you. It is basically one silly scene to another. Lambert fans will be disappointed since he has more of a supporting role and only comes into action a couple of times.Do yourself a favor and forget about this movie!

The greatest modern-day samurai/ninja flick ever

[nerdomatic10-937-667230 · 10/10 · 16 November 2012]

This movie has a lot of factors to recommend it and here they are:

1) The bullet train battle. One samurai and his wife take on a dozen ninjas aboard a passenger train. This scene must be seen to be believed, trust me. Which brings up another great feature: The samurai's wife loyally stands by his side no matter what he does, right or wrong, until the bitter end. She's just as capable and brave as he is, and is always right in the middle of all the action. He's not the stereotypical loner; he has a woman he can always count on. Also, the villain himself has a perverted version of this relationship; he too has a steadfast wife that he relies upon.

2) There's a lot of very adept writing throughout the film. Among some other excellent concepts, it also pays tribute to the Iliad (honest, it does) by using two major plot points from the ancient masterpiece. There's a skillfully done version of Hector killing Patroclus, who's disguised as Achilles; and of course the old Trojan Horse shows up at the end.

3) It subverts a lot of Hollywood clichés. The white hero is injured, helpless and physically outmatched for almost the entire film, and he requires a lot of rescuing by some of the Japanese characters. When the white hero fights the villain, it's the villain who's badly wounded and exhausted, not the other way around as it usually is. For a change, the hero is the one who resorts to dirty tricks and improvisation to win. So it actually seems somewhat realistic that the hero could come out on top in this case.

4) The sword fights are quick and brutal and gruesome. It's all stabbing and slashing; not that constant parrying with the swords clanging off each other for ten minutes and no one gets hurt until the finish.

5) There's a distinct element of Japanese mysticism and superstition, but it's all very subtle and not obvious at all. There's a little bit of reference to curses and legends and so forth, but it isn't laid on too thick. The samurai picks up the wrong sword during the penultimate battle, and it costs him his life. Joan Chen's character supernaturally guides and aids the hero after her death, but it's never blatant. A young Japanese girl who is certainly her in spirit form (Lambert even refers to this girl as his "angel") saves him at the Pachinko arcade and later on she shows up as herself in a hallucination, which stays the villain's deadly hand just in the nick of time. Same as she watches over the hero, she also hexes the villain before her death and haunts him until his own end. It's a nice touch.

6) There's a faint undertone of attraction between the samurai's wife and the hero. The samurai even seems to give it his blessing as he's dying, when he orders her to survive her own wounds. Of course, she and the hero are the only ones still alive after the big battle sequence and it sure looks like they will hook up quite soon.

7) The acting is uniformly outstanding and exceptional by all the Asian actors and actresses. Christopher Lambert is one of the oddest movie stars ever; his acting is wooden and his accent is distracting, but he does somehow pull it off and makes a fine hero this time around.

Anyway, this is a classic action flick and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you're like me and are fascinated by the concept of ninjas and samurai still secretly lurking about in the modern world, and of course doing battle with each other, then you need this one in your collection.

Ninjas vs Samuries and Chistohper Lambert

[DogFilmCritic · 7/10 · 16 May 2015]

I love this film, i remember i watch it as a kid , as a teen and as an adult and it still holds up.

Its an action film with martial arts in it,"The Hunted," a slightly better than adequate B thriller,Within limits, though, the film delivers. It has one standout action sequence, an extended samurai-ninja battle aboard a bullet train, and a good match up in its two warriors.

Christopher Lambert¨Highlander¨gives a good performance as the protagonist as Paul Racine a good guy trapped in a war he bumped by accident Mr. Harada, a handsome-ugly actor in the Charles Bronson mold, projects the tragic aura of a man who knows he must wade through an ocean of blood to avenge ancient wrongs. John Lone, known for his androgynous roles in "The Last Emperor" and "M. Butterfly," makes a convincingly sleek killing machine as Kinjo.

This movie is a good example of the 90s well paced, fake blood not cgi, the actors can pass as ninjas and samurais , not pretty boys trying to look there best, i say give it a good and see what you think of it for yourself.

chipanese ?

[marcoasleitao-905-480753 · 5/10 · 30 September 2020]

Why does Hollywood always cast Chinese people to play Japanese and the other ay around ? There are plenty of both nationalities there to be cast, but they always miscast...Chinese ninjas...naahhhh

Good

[manitobaman81 · 7/10 · 5 September 2014]

This is not an intellectual movie, it is not a love story, and it certainly is not Rambo. This is possibly one of the worst films ever made. To be fair, I did not have high expectations of the film, and it definitely lived up to those. The action sequences are extremely unrealistic (but great!), the whole premise of the story is fairly ludicrous and I think it highly doubtful that Lambert will ever be asked to play the lead character in a Shakespeare play. Nevertheless, it is flashy, fast and furious - and therefore highly enjoyable. Dysfunctional families live in decaying shacks, without money or food. Violent dogs are barking everywhere. Disagreements are settled by fistfights or, in some cases, by bullets.

Enjoyable trash without too much flair

[bob the moo · 26 April 2003]

Businessman Paul Racine is in Japan for work when he is picked up by an attractive young woman. He goes back to her flat but leaves early. Going back after second thoughts Racine witnesses her being killed by the mysterious ninja assassin Kinjo. He survives Kinjo's ninjas but is badly hurt. In hospital he is approached by Takeda and his wife, who offer him protection as everyone else who has seen Kinjo face has been killed. After a ninja attack on his hospital Racine goes with them and they prepare for a final showdown.

I've seen this film twice now. This second time I watched it because I wanted to review it but couldn't remember it clearly enough to be fair on it. The second viewing reminded why it had faded in my mind – it is trashy yet enjoyable fun. The plot is poor (laughable parts and inconsistencies) but it is short, has energy and requires no thought. The idea that this businessman would survive several ninja attacks when training samurai are easily killed is silly. Worse still is the idea (no matter how justified) that Racine could even temporarily match any of these men after only a few basic lessons in how to hold a sword! However it is quite exciting if you're in the mood. The high point is probably a train journey that is exciting simply because it is shockingly violent in it's intent. The addition of some comic relief in the final third (the old swordmaker) helps the film along to the conclusion.

Although it is not great, it is slightly refreshing to see a film of this genre without tonnes of flashy wire work or moves (having just suffered Bulletproof Monk and Cradle 2 The Grave I was glad of the basic fights). Little inconsistencies spoil it slightly – in one scene Racine is saved when a samurai sword jams in a wooden door, however later the same swords easily cuts though thick wooden pillars. Those looking for something trashy and slightly exciting should be pleased I think.

Lambert is not great in the lead and the film suffers form his character being the focal point. He mumbles his way through his lines (I think he thinks it makes him tough and mysterious) and his transformation from green businessman to ninja warrior is of no value. On the flip side of this is Yoshio Harada. Harada gives a really cool performance – he is strong and driven with an air of mystery, the script even makes him a little dark and complex too! The film would have been better if it had gradually swung the films focus from Racine to Harada's Takeda. Lone is OK as Kinjo but is not as meaty a role as Takeda. Considering the quality of the film I was watching I thought Harada did very well.

Overall I was ready for a trashy ninja movie with low value but reasonably entertaining – and that's what I got. Anyone looking for more than that should look elsewhere, but if you're in the mood this forgettable ninja movie will pass 90 minutes without being disappointing.

How much blood do I have to bath in, to get clean?

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 3 October 2008]

Samurai flicks may be considered a guilty pleasure, but this one is well worth watching.

It is not a Toshiro Mifune classic, but it features plenty of Samurai action and lots of blood is spilled.

Christopher Lambert (Highlander I, II, and III; Mortal Kombat) plays an American businessman who picks up an extremely lovely Joan Chen (Lust, Caution; Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl) in a bar and they have a pleasurable time before ninjas arrive to kill her for a transgression. The leader, John Lone (The Last Emperor, Year of the Dragon) is identified and the hunt begins.

The businessman enlists the help of super Japanese actor Yoshio Harada and Yôko Shimada (Shogun and "Shogun"). What he doesn't realize ifs the Samurai isn't really interested in helping, he just wants to do battle with the Ninja.

It's fast paced and exciting with enough exploitation to make it special.

Violent ninja mayhem

[Mike Astill · 5/10 · 19 November 2001]

Action farce, buoyed to a certain degree by several overly violent action sequences. There are plenty of ninja attacks and firefights, and the whole thing is silly beyond words. Lambert is wooden, but gets to put his Highlander swordsmanship to good use during a swordfight at the end of the movie. Chen is looking particularly fine, even if she does spend most of the time getting her head snicked off. Lone does a good job as the master villain.

The film blows its load half way through with a demented fight on a bullet train, and there's not much of interest to watch from that point on apart from a rather limp final battle. A lot of the fight choreography is disappointing, especially considering the attention to detail given to the samurai and ninja methods and weapons.

Not a bad flick if you're in the mood for some ninja mayhem, though.

Lambert can't keep away from a good sword movie

[mloessel · 6/10 · 19 December 2018]

Whether it's the Highlander or an ancient Ninja fued, Chris Lambert can't stay away from what he considers a good sword story. And let's not forget that the final scene is raining and Lambert somehow survives. This is the usual movie project for Lambert and doesn't make my must see list.

Painful B-class movie

[Maziun · 1/10 · 2 October 2013]

*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILRS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS I didn't had big expectations for this one. After all it's a movie with Christopher Lambert . The guy specializes in rather trashy B-class movies (with the exception of "Greystoke" and "Highlander"). I didn't expected art or quality , but some decent movie to kill time . I must admit I have a soft spot for ninjas . Ninjas were popular in the 80's , but they don't appear that much in movies now. Judging by the summary I expected a simple revenge flick.

Ugh… Where should I start ? What went wrong ? Christopher Lambert ends as a supporting character in his own movie . If you expected to see him fighting enemies like in "Highlander" you will be disappointed . For 99 % of the movie he just whines around and he fights in only last 10 minutes of the movie . And the final fight between Lambert and the villain is PATHETIC . I have to say I unintentionally felt sorry for the villain – the movie makers gave so much advantage for the hero in the final battle , that it just doesn't seem fair. And yet Lambert BARELY won … You have to see it for yourself – incredibly poor battle.

The movie for most of the time feels like a bad drama . The viewer is caught in the conflict between two clans that is not one bit interesting or emotionally engaging. The flashbacks with Joan Chen are incredibly cheesy. There are many unintentionally laughable scenes ("Maybe I was wrong ") that make the movie hard to treat seriously. The fight scenes look rather cheap. The actors , especially the Asian ones give a terrible performances. Lambert is dull as always . The Asian actors (with the exception of Joan Chen) act like they barely know English. Their accents are awful. Last but not least – the music (which is just drums) is boring.

There is some nudity and violence . Some cheap laughs and decent performance from Joan Chen. The old Asian guy is quite funny . Watch out for Toshiro Obata ("Teenage mutant ninja turtles") as one of the henchmen.

It doesn't change the fact that this is a bad movie , even in the B-class range . Better watch "American ninja" with Michael Dudikoff or "Blind fury" with Rutger Hauer. I give " The Hunted" 1/10.

Yields adequate entertainment.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 4 April 2018]

Christopher Lambert is typically amusing as Paul Racine, an American executive in the computer-chip business in Nagoya, Japan on business. He has a romantic night with a stranger named Kirina (the alluring Joan Chen), only to end up witnessing her assassination later that night. Dodging a few subsequent attempts on his life thanks to dumb luck and good timing, he hooks up with a samurai (Yoshio Harada) and his wife (Yoko Shimada), who vow to protect him. They must all do battle with Kinjo (John Lone), the lethal leader of a ninja cult, and his minions.

Marking the second directorial effort for screenwriter J.F. Lawton ("Pretty Woman", "Under Siege"), "The Hunted" is often silly and laughable, but it becomes clear that it's not meant to be taken all that seriously all the time. It leaves most of the heroic duties to Harada, with Lambert mostly just along for the ride until the finish. He does eventually desire to receive some sort of training, but commendably does NOT become a master swordsman by the story's end.

"The Hunted" will never join the ranks of classic martial arts action movies, but it's actually a decent enough viewing provided one is not too demanding. It's got TONS of bloodshed and a high body count; many innocents as well as active participants in the feud get cut up. It's a rather long movie at an hour and 50 minutes, but is never truly boring, at the very least.

Lambert will not likely ever be mistaken for a master thespian, but as previously mentioned, he's usually good for some amused chuckles. It's up to people like Lone, Harada, and Shimada to do the true heavy lifting. Chen tries to make the most out of her brief, ill-fated role.

An irresistible, percussion-based music score (composed by Leonard Eto and Motofumi Yamaguchi) helps a lot, as well as some excellent location shooting in Japan.

Six out of 10.

Oddly inert

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 20 August 2023]

Here's one I somehow missed up until now: an American ninja movie starring none other than Christopher Lambert. Sadly, there's something distinctly off about this film, which screams cheap and cheerful throughout; it's dated in the worst way of 1990s cinema and it's never as suspenseful or exciting as it should be. Lambert gives one of his most wooden performances here playing an oddly inert hero who does very little and comes across as a poor brother to the genuinely badass Japanese protagonist. The opening sequence, which should be shocking, is fumbled and the only good action scene is the admittedly impressive train set-piece. A shame, because I do love ninjas.

A good film

[takleefey · 8/10 · 31 July 2006]

The Hunted is surprisingly high in production values, acting and story. It also provides a nice inside look into Japanese culture and society. Blood and Gore of course, are a plenty. Christopher Lambert played his role very well and kept his naiveté and innocence very well portrayed, while finding himself in the middle of a war. The sword-fight choreography is decent and very realistic. The Japanese actors put on a splendid show. This a gripping, colorful and highly satisfying film that will never have you bored at any point. I find it quite under-rated because it is quite well developed despite its obscurity. This is something I would recommend to any viewer.

Japan is the biggest character in this ninja-filled exploitationer

[sillybuddha · 7/10 · 27 December 2007]

Christopher Lambert is a foreigner in Japan who gets caught up in a secret world of ninja cults and samurai warriors.... The Hunted is full of Japanese clichés - but that gives it its charm - the film *likes* Japan and enjoys sticking in such quintessentially Japanese scenery like castles, pachinko parlours, robotic toilets, the bullet train, taiko drummers (the famous drumming group Kodo appear), wooden bridges over rivers, paper screen doors, swordmakers, and of course ninja and samurai.

Lambert is charming throughout, his encounter with a mysterious lady in a nightclub is a sexy cliché, but Lambert's character is always likable and decent, and not stereotypically macho - he has to cower in a corner in some of the scenes where ninjas attack (although to be fair he was injured...) When Lambert manages to escape the first wave of (bloody) ninja attacks he goes to an island full of samurai who are dedicated to wiping out the evil ninja cult. In some ways it becomes a bit like The Last Samurai at this point, as Lambert's fish out of water has to learn how to handle a katana and bonds with a swordsmith.

It is silly, the dialogue is often weak, but it has some nice imagery of Japan, some brutal swordplay, and successfully keeps the film pacy and ... well.. cool. Ninjas are cool.

Having said that, it is low budget, the dialogue is often rubbish: (Cop: 'There are no ninjas in modern Japan!' {gets shot with arrow, dying} 'Looks like I was wrong! Lambert: 'Looks like?') Ho ho ho.

When The Movie Finished Me.. !

[elshikh4 · 4/10 · 1 March 2008]

Quotes From The Movie As Messages:

• "You must except your fate with courage": it's for this movie's viewer!

• "I'll wait you in hell": the makers of this movie to each other!

• "Now he'll rest easier": about anyone preferred not to watch such a movie!

Innocent Questions:

• Why the evil ninja fighter killed the girl at the start?! I didn't quite get that! How could a peaceful American businessman manage to runaway from a trained bunch of assassins? And twice?! What their point of view in slaughtering all the train's passengers? Why the big ninja fighter didn't go to that massacre? (I bet he would've had some real fun!). What about his conscience's sudden awakening? That was totally unexplained?? How the idiot rookie (Lambert) could kill one of the greatest ninja warriors by himself??, and what is (Lambert) doing in this movie anyway? And honestly how I could stand all of that in the first place?!!!

Try To Be Reasonable.. Unlike Them!:

• I think it's all a Japanese story, production and stars. But they needed a name to sell the movie internationally. Therefore, they added the character of (Christopher Lambert), yet they never made it in accord with the rest of the elements. So that's why you feel all the time that he's an out-of-the-picture alien. As he's not the guest star, the sidekick, the smart student.. etc. They inserted the character, and its actor, in too hasty way!

So What's Good in Here?!!:

• It looked like a TV movie, rather the poorest TV movie ever. The direction was a genius, but at destroying any good moments, especially the fights' scenes. While being the best thing to expect in a movie of that kind, they were too dull to watch. I only loved the impressive performance of the veteran (Yoshio Harada) as (Takeda) the stiff avenger and the mighty hero. Plus 2 seconds. Firstly, when (Lambert) decides to leave the ring after the Japanese instructor refused to train him. And secondly, the image of the whole battlefield when the evil ninja stands alone in the dark, among the corpses, waiting for the instructor. Both of them seemed visually strong, but still they were just 2 seconds in 106 minutes!

Some Comments:

• How the Razzie's award forgot a powerful candidate like this one? Whether they were merciful, or used to go to the more expensively made movies, both ways, (The Hunted) was, and still is, underrated bad movie. It could've been great for, at least, the "Worst Screen Couple" award!

• After I finished the movie (or the movie finished me!), I found myself saying: "AHHH.. How many (Tom and Jerry) cartoons I'll have to watch just to forget the effect of THIS?!!". Did you notice that I said "to forget the effect" not the movie, as it's assured to be forgettable by itself!

• The beautiful thing about (Christopher Lambert) is that he's not (Steven Seagal). Thank God that they didn't bring Mr. (Seagal) for such a role, the Japanese girl could've butchered herself already just because of meeting him!