That's a Lotta London

 

Much like killer dolls or apocalypses, there's an undeniable appeal of watching genre movies taking a spin on The Most Dangerous Game. There are plenty of ways to bungle the premise, but it's also an easy blueprint for something fairly entertaining.

Quick Plot: Cassandra seems to be something of a drifter. After exiting a convenience store, paper bag-coated liquor bottle in hand, she's nearly attacked by a group of creeps before the well-trained Tessa steps (well, drop-kicks) in to save her. 

Some time later, the girls have a public breakup at a diner counter, where nearby patron Carter and his son Jackson look on. They invite Cassandra to join them, both for breakfast and a weekend celebration at a beach. With nowhere else to go, Cassandra happily agrees, meeting a few more attractive young women and greasy older men along the way. 

Naturally, this isn't the dream vacation any of the ladies imagined. See, Carter runs a Most Danger Game-esque committee that holds annual "hunts." Loads of wealthy misogynists spend a fair fortune to participate, whether by watching via livestream or shooting their own crossbows. Young Jackson is embarking on his first entry into the game, and while he's eager to please his alpha toxic male dad, he also clearly has a budding conscience (also, most likely, a lack of sexual interest in women). 

Cassandra is resourceful, and soon enough, we piece together exactly how she ended up in that diner at just the right time. Still, there are several other women without quite the same level of preparation who might not fare as well as the game gets going. 

Despite boasting a batch of somewhat famous faces (including two that are identical), Hunt Club was clearly a low budget effort...I hope. Director Elizabeth Blake-Thomas doesn't show much skill with staging her action, while David Lipper and John Saunders' script offers little surprise. 

It's not, objectively speaking, a good movie. But Mena Suvari makes for a very watchable lead, and the film seems to want to not be overly exploitive of its female victims (whether it succeeds is a different question). My standards for movies like these is on a very loose floating scale. 

High Points

I don't know whose decision it was to have most of the cast dress like they're living in the 1970s, but it adds some visual flair, so I'll take it

Low Points

This is an 80-minute movie that still drags. That's never a good thing

Lessons Learned

To become a man, recognize your moral compass

A gentleman's word is his bond

"Garden variety vigilante" is the new "virgin who can't drive"

The Scariest Thing About This Movie:

HOW CAN YOU PUT BOTH OF THEM IN ONE MOVIE AND EXPECT ME TO TELL THEM APART?

For years, I actually just gave up and assumed Jason and Jeremy London were just one person. This movie doesn't have a big enough budget to Parent Trap those twin shots, so if nothing else, this movie succeeded in officially killing my conspiracy theory

Rent/Bury/Buy

I've seen far worse than movies with this same plot than Hunt Club. With quick turns by the likes of Mickey Rourke, this isn't a total waste of time, but it's really only suitable for those whose standards are, well, low enough to be mine. Find it on Amazon (or don't; I mean you probably shouldn't).