The Hunting Party (1971)

My Review

Gene Hackman plays a wealthy cattle rancher whose wife is kidnapped by an outlaw and held for ransom. However, she develops feelings for her captor, which complicates matters greatly in “The Hunting Party.” Director Don Medford put together a second-rate western with poor writing, but still qualifies as passable entertainment due to fair production values and the charisma of the central cast. The barely passable screenplay was penned by Gilbert Ralston, Arthur Gardner, and Arnold Raven.

The primary cast members are Oliver Reed as the outlaw, Candice Bergen as the kidnaped wife, and Gene Hackman receives third billing as the rancher. Hackman did not become a big star until October, 1971, with the release of “The French Connection.” All three principles were believable in their respective roles. Co-stars include Simon Oakland, Ronald Howard, G. D. Spradlin, L. Q. Jones, Mitchell Ryan, Rayford Barnes, Bernard Kay, Francesca Tu, Marian Collier, Raphael Albaicin, Emilio Rodriguez, and Ralph Brown as the sheriff.

The low-budget and barely watchable western “The Hunting Party” was a flop at the box office Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions and United Artists. Honorable mention goes to cinematographer Cecilio Paniagua for the location filming in the beautiful scenery of Spain.