The Hunter's Prayer (2017)

Touches You

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

If you have nothing to do and you want to spend an entertaining moment this could work. The story begins guessing what will happen next and it offers to the audience suspense too . The revenge plan from the daughter is well developed and the scenarios are well chosen. There are many action and combat scenes that makes The Hunter's Prayer a fast paced thriller. My wife gave 7 and me 6 out of 10 = 6.5/10.

In the scene where the assassin ejects the cartridge out his weapon then removes the magazine to make the young girl feel safe is very unrealistic. He, being a professional shooter would have known that by doing so, the slide would have picked up another round out of the magazine, leaving a live round in the chamber even after the magazine was removed. Typical bad screen play / directing. Unknowledgable ( ignorant)I could go on because there were many other scenes with similar ignorance but I'm am just going to say poorly research film saved only by the camera / scene imagery and decent acting , good editing etc... Director,,, put your nose against the wall... poor choices...

We've seen similar themes many times over in movies through the years. Here Sam Worthington portrays Lucas, a hired assassin and drug addict who can't bring himself to kill his next assignment, who's the 16-year-old Ella, played by Odeya Rush. Of course, this makes the man who hired Lucas (Allen Leech) very unhappy and so Lucas and Ella must try and escape through Europe from those killers who want to eliminate them.There's plenty of wooden dialogue and formulaic plot elements here. However on the positive side I was interested enough in the film to want to see how it would all turn out, and it does present its viewers with quite the poignant ending.Overall, nothing really new here for this genre, but the pacing kept me engaged throughout.

In the bonus segment of the DVD of "The Hunter's Prayer," director Jonathan Mostow described his intention to transform the generic action and "road film" with a major reversal in the character relationships. Due to the good character developments, the filmmakers were successful in their mission.A hired killer named Lucas (Sam Worthington) is tasked with the job of killing the daughter of an attorney, who has recently been assassinated at the behest of the nefarious financier named Addison. The daughter, Ella (Odeya Rush), who stands to inherit a fortune, is captured by Lucas, but she asks him a question that is a game changer: "What is your name?" The killer is so taken aback by this human touch that he begins to reflect on his life as a thug. That transformation leads to the new life he will create for himself out of this experience.The film is set in a variety of locations, including Scarsdale, N.Y.; Montreux, Switzerland; Chaumont, France; The English Channel; and Leeds, England. Much of the filming took place in Hungary. But there is some stunning footage of Yorkshire at the close of the film, as well as a grand old English manor house.But the film will not be remembered for its panoramic vistas, but for the bonding that occurs between Lucas and Ella. Most of the characters in this film are villains, and they have no idea that Lucas will change his ways as a Jason Bourne-like killer. One of the bonus segments in the DVD is called "The Cost of Killing." Lucas comes to reflect on that cost, to kick his drug habit, and to contemplate reuniting with his family. In one of the most memorable scenes, Lucas hands Ella his pistol and carefully explains what it takes to kill another human being. It turns out that the scene was improvised by the actors. That scene was one of the turning points for both characters, as they seek not merely to survive, but to discover a new inner identity to start their lives anew.