With somewhat cheesy cover art and a loud, uninformative title, it appears at first glance that Hunter Hunter is going to be some kind of backwoodsy B-thriller in the vein of “Jason Statham in the woods— minus Jason Statham.”

But it had a 6.4 on IMDb, so I figured, What the hell?!? (And I’m not above Statham, for what it’s worth.)

What starts as a grim yarn about an off-the-grid family toughing it in the woods is flipped on its head as alternate and intertwining chains of survival enter the picture. The ecosystem here is comprised of an almost mythical ravenous wolf, a hardheaded survivalist hunter and his apprehensive wife and daughter, as well as something a bit more sinister. It all amounts to a battle of apex predators, with a roadmap toward carnage.

This flick could have gone in so many well-trodden, predictable directions. Instead, director  takes the less traveled road,  while binding poignant metaphors to its grotesque twists and turns. It also excels as a breakneck thriller with exponentially rising tension.

No doubt, there are some headscratching decisions along the way. But there’s also some fantastic, transformative performances. I had no idea until the credits rolled that the protagonist was none other than a 45-year old Devon Sawa, a staple of turn of the millenium teenage horror (Idle Hands, all thirty Final Destination installations). Camille Sullivan also gives a viscerally charged performance that is central to the film’s success. And then there are other key players, some recognizable, who admirably fill the darker corners of this bleak bloodbath.

I should also say that by the time you’re done here, I think you’ll see that the title is actually pretty clever. Hunter Hunter is, in all, a well-crafted and damn fun thrill ride, and not for the faint of heart. It will also make you appreciate the small things in life, like electricity, running water, and a lack of violent deaths in your general vicinity.

GRADE: B+
IMDb: 6.4

-Sam Adams