Surviving the Game

"It's very simple. You see, the hunt begins now. We're the hunters... and you're the hunted. You leave here now with a head start of as long it takes us... to eat a nice, leisurely breakfast." - Cole

release year: 1994
genre: action
viewing setting: home streaming 5/10/26

synopsis: Some rich (and mostly crazy) people recruit a homeless guy for a hunting trip...but they haven't told him that HE will be the prey.

impressions: While this was ver similar to Hard Target which came out a year before, its protagonist possessed no combat or survival skills. I think the idea was that he survived and beat the bad guys due to sheer will and determination and street smarts. Which is fine, but not too realistic. The strength here was in the crazy characters...I mean most of the hunters were lunatics, which ended up hurting them in the end. Also, a big plot hole: at the end, how the hell did Mason get back to civilization, much less in only three days?

body count once the hunt begins: 4 killed by Mason, 2 killed by others

acting: A young Ice-T is full of attitude and tough lines, which are apparently enough to allow him to beat multiple armed, experienced assailants. Gary Busey is absolutely bonkers as one of the bad guys; Rutger Hauer and Charles Dutton aren't far behind. F. Murray Abraham and John McGinley round out the group of hunters.

final word: Decent action movie with a bit of street attitude.

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