Movie Type: Family-Oriented Adventure, Animal Picture
Themes: Man's Best Friend
Main Cast: Benji, Red Steagall, Nancy Francis, Mike Francis, Frank Inn
Release Year: 1987
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Both Benji the dog and his trainer Frank Inn play themselves in Benji the Hunted. Accidentally separated from Inn early in the film, the loveable pooch is forced to fend for himself in the Pacific Northwest. He latches onto a litter of cougar cubs, protecting them from harm while he himself has been targetted for a quick demise by a voracious black timber wolf. Filmed in Oregon and Washington, Benji the Hunted is more of the same from writer/director Joe Camp, the man who brought you all those earlier Benji epics. Camp's tendency to direct his doggie star with more confidence than his human actors is very pronounced here; in fact, the film would have benefitted immensely by a complete lack of human characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cast
Benji - Benji
Red Steagall - Hunter
Nancy Francis - Newscaster
Mike Francis - TV Cameraman
Frank Inn - Himself
Karen Thorndyke; Steve Zanolini
Credit
Bob Riggs - Art Director, Ray Brown - Art Director, Erwin Hearne - Associate Producer, Steven Saxton - Associate Producer, Joe Camp - Director, Karen Thorndike - Editor, Ed Vanston - Executive Producer, Betty E. Box - Composer (Music Score), Euel Box - Composer (Music Score), Don Reddy - Cinematographer, Ben Vaughn - Producer, Joe Camp - Screenwriter, Carolyn H. Camp - Supervising Producer
Benji has become stranded on a remote island after a boating accident. He finds himself struggling to survive in the wilderness, avoiding close encounters with a timber wolf, a brown bear, and a territorial female cougar with her cub. After becoming stranded, Benji observes the female cougar gunned down by a hunter. Benji attempts to comfort the dying animal, but he is chased away by the hunter, who then retrieves the dead cat and marches off with it draped over his shoulders. Benji eventually encounters four orphaned cougar cubs, belonging to the killed cougar, and he attempts to shield them from predation. A black timber wolf, relentlessly pursuing the cubs, is one of the main antagonists and highlights of the film. In one of the film's more tragic scenes, one of the cubs is carried off by an eagle. In the final encounter and chase with the wolf, Benji tricks the wolf by hiding in the bushes that shields the cliff behind it and sends the wolf flying off the cliff, becoming the victim of his own misjudgment. Benji later tries to catch up with the female cougar he encountered earlier with the intention of leaving the three remaining cubs in her care. Having accomplished this, he is then seen by his master, who flies overhead in a helicopter while searching for Benji.
This was the last Benji movie to star Benjean in the title role. The plot took advantage of the fact that although the character she played was male, she was a female, and she was able to convey tender motherly feelings for other small animals. They trained the animals before the movie started. They needed no technology except for the camera shots.
Critical reception
Famed movie critic Roger Ebert gave this film Four Stars (out of four) as well as "Thumbs Up." Gene Siskel, however, gave the film "Thumbs Down" and suggested that viewers watch The Black Stallion instead.
