WARHUNT (2022) Reviews and overview

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WarHunt is a 2022 American supernatural action horror film about US soldiers attacked behind enemy lines by an unseen force in WWII.

Directed by Mauro Borrelli (Mindcage; The Recall; Haunted Forest) from a screenplay co-written with Reggie Keyohara III (The Recall) and Scott Svatos (The Ghostmaker). Produced by Adel Nur, Max Pavlov, Igor Pronin, Svetlana Punte, Yu-Fai Suen and Yulia Zayceva.

The movie stars Robert Knepper (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back), Jackson Rathbone (The Twilight Saga) and Mickey Rourke (Sin City).

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Plot:
In 1945, a US military cargo plane loses control and violently crashes behind enemy lines in the middle of the German black forest. Ruthless Major Johnson (Mickey Rourke) immediately sends a squad of his bravest soldiers on a rescue mission to retrieve the top-secret material the plane was carrying.

Led by Sergeant Brewer (Robert Knepper) and Walsh (Jackson Rathbone), the soldiers venture deep into the forest near the crash site. They soon discover hanged Third-Reich soldiers and other dead bodies bearing ancient, magical symbols.

Suddenly their compasses fail, their perceptions twist and straying from the group leads to profound horror as they are attacked by a powerful, supernatural force.

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Whilst struggling to survive the American troops must uncover the shocking truth behind the force before the German soldiers and do everything they can to remove all evidence it ever existed, even at the cost of their own lives…

Review:
WarHunt is somewhat clichéd yet reasonably entertaining with some genuine tension in the section when the GI’s are attempting to figure out what they are up against. The CGI witches are somewhat smudgy and the latter section of the film are poorly lit. Mickey Rourke was clearly just hired for a star name and his scenes add nothing much overall. In fact, he seems quite uncomfortable in his role. Still, WarHunt is worth a watch.

Adrian J Smith, MOVIES and MANIA

Other reviews:
“The third act sees too many moving parts introduced and the fact the supernatural evil is scared of normal bullets takes away from some of the fun. This leads to an inevitable twist ending that has no impact on the movie.  Still, WarHunt is an entertaining watch.” AIPT

WarHunt is frequently too dark, and it’s sometimes difficult to see what’s going on. It’s confusing, and not in a fun way […] And the digital effects that show the villainous witches turning into swarms of black feathers look cheap and smeary […] The three top-billed actors often choke on their hammy dialogue, slipping down into what comes across as poor performances.” Common Sense Media

WarHunt has fits and bursts of predictable but twisted psychological goodness but can’t quite overcome cardboard characters, a stale endgame, and a Mickey Rourke appearance that deflates whatever excitement there is to be found in the final battle because he’s only here to collect a paycheck. Go on a hunt for better movies to watch.” Flickering Myth

WarHunt follows a lot of the tropes of the supernatural-horror-in-the-woods and Nazi occultism subgenres, but it also delivers a fair share of shocks and surprises. The performances are solid enough to keep things interesting between the horror set pieces, making for an entertaining hour-and-a-half thrill ride.” Horror Fuel

WarHunt is schlock played straight, and though it has its ups and downs, it nails the trippy forest vibe and goes above and beyond its B-level medium. Things get ridiculous and unintentionally silly at times; still, WarHunt commits to the tale and sells the absurd with some solid directing and atmospheric cinematography.” JoBlo

“A plethora of problems exist here if one really wants to get nitpicky about them. Mickey Rourke’s Major Johnson seems fully disconnected from the main narrative for the majority of the runtime. The lighting in the darker scenes can make it extremely difficult to figure out what the hell is going on […] But what works here, really works. It is just a ridiculous blast.” Josh at the Movies

“It isn’t until the wicked final act that WarHunt throws off the shroud of mystique and transforms into a batshit insane twenty minutes of action-packed terror, stunning production design and some neat creature work (plus some A+ costuming), but it all comes a little too late to save the audience from an otherwise by the numbers script that saves too much of the best for last.” Killer Horror Critic

“The action beats are mostly mundane, there are captures and escapes and the payoff isn’t worth anything we’ve sat through leading up to it. WarHunt is never wholly incompetent, never “so bad it’s good” or anything of the sort. Even by the lowered standards of “a C-movie starring Mickey Rourke,” it’s never more than a waste of 90 minutes.” Movie Nation

“As far-fetched (to put it mildly) as the witch hunt in WarHunt may seem, the movie doesn’t topple into absurdity until the final act […] And even then, things remain at least watchable until the extended climax inside an underground Witch Central, where the final battle is so dimly lit and confusingly staged, you may be tempted to shout rude things at the screen.” Variety

“Unfortunately, going into the last act WarHunt suffers from several scenes that are so dark it’s almost impossible to tell what’s going on. And that darkness is a problem that persists through the showdown in the witches’ lair. It doesn’t hurt the film too much, but it is frustrating, especially as there’s so much going on […] Despite that, if you don’t expect a serious horror film, WarHunt is a fun way to kill some time. It’s a fast-paced ride…” Voices from the Balcony

YouTube reviews:

Teaser trailer:

Trailer:

‘Answers’ clip:

‘One for all’ clip:

Release date:
In the USA, Saban Films will release WarHunt theatrically, on Digital and On-Demand on January 21st 2022.

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Cast and confirmed characters:
Mickey Rourke
Jackson Rathbone
Robert Knepper
Polina Pushkareva … Radio operator (as Polina Pushkareva Nioly)
Josh Burdett … Captain Rice
Alex Mills … Friar
Fredrik Wagner … Rucker
Tom J. Benedict … Co-pilot
Ben McKeown … Freeman
Jurijs Djakonovs … US Army Soldier
Matt Mella … Korsky
Timo Willman … Lt. Hertz
Lou Stassen … Hexe
Lorenzo de Moor … Gardner
Ieva Seglina … Cryptologist
Elliott Wooster … Taft
Christopher Hunter … Olin
Rihards Lepers … German prisoner
Dainis Grube … Simms
Hervé Pictet … Carboni

Filming locations:
Riga, Latvia

MOVIES and MANIA rating:

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