Themes: Members of the Press, Crimes Against Humanity, Out For Revenge
Main Cast: Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Kruger, James Brolin
Release Year: 2007
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
An emerging journalist (Jesse Eisenberg), an experienced cameraman (Terrence Howard), and a discredited reporter (Richard Gere) find their bold plan to capture Bosnia's top war criminal quickly spiraling out of control when a UN representative mistakes them for a CIA hit squad in a light-hearted thriller inspired by Scott Anderson's popular Esquire article. The Weinstein Company provides stateside distribution for a film written and directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Review
An international thriller dealing with the pursuit of a notorious war criminal may be a hard sell for moviegoers still digesting a steady diet of summer-tent-pole junk food, but audiences seeking out something a little more original, and willing to give writer/director Richard Shepard's fact-based follow-up to The Matador a chance, may be pleasantly surprised by this taut but humorous tale. Inspired by Scott Anderson's 2000 Esquire article "What I Did on My Summer Vacation," The Hunting Party follows a trio of journalists as they set out to locate an elusive Bosnian war criminal rumored to be hiding out in the mountains of Serbia five years after the war. In their quest to locate the sadistic Serbian leader, the journalists are unexpectedly mistaken for a CIA hit squad by a UN official, who assumes that the government really wants to capture the man who orchestrated the slaughter of entire villages. The more intensely the journalists deny their connection to the CIA, the more convinced the somewhat naïve UN official becomes that they are precisely what they claim not to be. Before they realize what's happening, the tables have turned and the hunters have become the hunted -- not only by the man they are attempting to smoke out of his hiding spot, but by the actual CIA as well.
For most folks, war is no laughing manner, but to the journalists entrenched in battle and determined to cover a conflict, a sense of humor -- and perhaps the occasional stiff drink -- are the only means of coping with the unspeakable horrors they witness day after bloody day. Of course, there's nothing funny about a bomb that doesn't know a soldier from a civilian, yet a deliberate step back and a thoughtful look at the larger picture often reveals absurdities that one can't help but laugh at: like the fact that the government that claims to want to catch a notorious Bosnian war criminal -- and has offered a five-million-dollar reward to anyone involved in his capture -- lists a "1-800" tip line that is only operational in the continental U.S. These are the kind of details that writer/director Richard Shepard is interested in. There's no question that the Bosnian War was a tragedy and that the innocents caught up in the fighting didn't deserve the grim fates they often met, but in order to understand why these things happened and prevent them from occurring again, it's imperative to grasp the causes and effects of such events. With The Hunting Party, Shepard focuses on the effects that the war has on the journalists who dodge machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades in search of the truth. Five years after the last shots of the Bosnian War have been fired, a group of journalists gather in the city to reconnect, drink heartily, and share their war stories. But one of the journalists -- a shamed television reporter who had a notorious on-air meltdown -- is notably absent. Like many burnt-out war correspondents, he has fallen on hard times -- and the prospect of a five-million-dollar paycheck and the story of a lifetime is simply too tempting to resist.
Cast as haggard journalist Simon Hunt, Richard Gere shares much in common with Pierce Brosnan's character in Shepard's 2005 sleeper hit, The Matador -- he's decidedly rough around the edges, his stressful line of work has done irrevocable damage to his psyche, yet through it all, he remains something of a lovable rogue whose unseemly streak is precisely the reason one warms to him. Arriving in the wake of such glossy Hollywood efforts as Chicago and Shall We Dance?, The Hunting Party presents a side of Gere that audiences haven't really witnessed as of late -- a disheveled, dejected, and unshaven side -- and the contrast between this and his most recent high-profile efforts makes him undeniably effective.
Hunt is determined to capture the evasive Serbian war criminal known as The Fox, but he realizes that his target is surrounded by loyal supporters and that he won't be able to accomplish his mission alone. As a result, Simon seeks out the assistance of his former cameraman Duck (Terrence Howard). Duck was the man behind the camera when Simon lost it on the air, and whereas Simon was relegated to obscurity after that fateful broadcast, Duck was granted a cushy job in New York City. An Oscar-nominated actor whose star-making performances in Hustle & Flow and Crash have recently propelled him onto the Hollywood A-list, Howard plays his character as a man who has perhaps grown a bit too comfortable in the safety of his New York job, and longs to get back out into the field, so to speak, and experience a bit of adventure. When Simon starts to lose it, Duck is the voice of reason, and Gere and Howard strike a fine balance as two old friends who represent the opposite sides of the same coin. Add Jesse Eisenberg into the mix as a rookie reporter named Benjamin who proves that inexperience and competence are two very different things (especially in one astounding scene), and Shepard achieves the perfect balance of seasoned cynicism, knowing caution, and calculated ambition.
However, it isn't just about the familiar American faces in Shepard's film, because he makes remarkable use of local talent as well. Croatian sitcom star Ljubomir Kerekes is absolutely chilling as The Fox, Mark Ivanir is great as UN official Boris (the man who initially mistakes the journalists as a CIA hit squad), and Branko Smiljanic strikes a menacing tone as a nine-fingered barkeep with a deadly secret. Likewise, a scene-stealing performance by Dylan Baker (who essayed similar roles in such previous Shepard films as Oxygen and The Matador) provides chills and laughs in equal measure.
In addition to assembling such a talented team of actors for his film, Shepard has also crafted a compelling story out of Anderson's original article. As a writer, Shepard has displayed remarkable growth over the years, and The Hunting Party shows that he's only improving. It's not easy to balance, comedy, action, drama, and thrills, but as with real life, Shepard's films frequently feature a mix of all these elements. With The Matador, Shepard seemed to truly hit his stride as a writer, and in The Hunting Party he proves that success was no fluke. Wisely, Shepard avoids political commentary to focus instead on the characters and the story at hand. The result is a thriller that, despite dealing with fairly heavy subject matter, never loses sight of its goal to entertain. Set at a satisfying pace, shot on location, and featuring plenty of naturalistic, handheld cinematography by David Tattersall (The Green Mile, Die Another Day, and the new Star Wars trilogy), The Hunting Party is an involving take on an incredible story that successfully accomplishes the rare feat of keeping the tension high, releasing the pressure with well-timed humor, and, ultimately, prompting the viewer to meditate on the true motivations behind U.S. involvement in world events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Gordana Vukres - Girl at Awards Ceremony; Sanela Seferagic - Sexy Assistant; Damir Saban - Gert; Aleksandra Grdic - TriBeCa Loft Girl; John W. Falk - Journalist #1; Scott Anderson - Journalist #2; Harald Doornbos - Journalist #3; Philippe Deprez - Journalist #4; Erich Rathfelder - Journalist #5; Zan Marolt - Journalist #6; Ljubomir Kerekes - The Fox; Kristina Krepela - Magda; Snezana Markovic - Una; Joy Bryant - Duck's Girlfriend; Goran Kostic - Srdjan; Branko Smiljanic - Nine Fingered Man; Semir Krivic - Roadhouse Waiter; Nitin Chandra Ganatra - Indian Officer; R. Mahalakshmi Devaraj - Miriam; Mark Ivanir - Boris; Lucio Slama - Man With Scar; Damir Kukulj - Solitary Man; Kata Ivkovcic - Old Lady Gardening; Srecko Franovic - Young Boy; Sasa Dodik - Bar Patron #1; Amer Isanovic - Bar Patron #2; Goran Miraj Grbic - Thug #1; Mladen Vulic - Thug #2; Zdravko Kocevar - Sascha; Marinko Prga - Fox's Man With Gun; Luka Peros - Commando #1; Dylan Baker - CIA Operative; Arif Alaibegovic - Old Man With Guitar; Lejla Hadzimuratovic
Credit
Mario Ivezic - Art Director, Tomislav Fogec - Boom Operator, Joyce Nettles - Casting, Stephanie Corsalini - Casting, Julie Pearce - Consultant/advisor, Valida Carroll - Consultant/advisor, Vladislav Boyadjiev - Conductor, Beatrix Aruna Pasztor - Costume Designer, Richard L. Fox - First Assistant Director, Hr Zoran Sudar - First Assistant Director, Richard Shepard - Director, Arsen Anton Ostojic - Second Unit Director, Carole Kravetz-Aykanian - Editor, Adam Merims - Executive Producer, Bo Hyde - Executive Producer, Martin Schuermann - Executive Producer, Paul Hanson - Executive Producer, Charles Gregory Ross - Hair Styles, Ferdinando Merolla - Hair Styles, Zarko Ivkovic - Location Manager, Philip Schulz-Deyle - Line Producer, Alexandra Cardenas - Line Producer, Rolfe Kent - Composer (Music Score), Liza Richardson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Vincenzo Mastrantonio - Makeup, Jan Roelfs - Production Designer, David Tattersall - Cinematographer, Mark Johnson - Producer, Scott Kroopf - Producer, Bill Block - Producer, Rolfe Kent - Recording, Michael Mertens - Recording, Greg Townley - Recording, Filip "Ficho" Zafran - Research, Nick Woolage - Sound Mixer, Dane A. Davis - Sound/Sound Designer, Reinhard Stergar - Sound/Sound Designer, Danetracks, Inc. - Sound/Sound Designer, Charles Jarman - Stunts, Toni Bobeta - Stunts, Petar Bencic - Stunts, Marko Buhin - Stunts, Miroslav Buhin - Stunts, Goran Goricki - Stunts, Evangelos Grecos - Stunts, Robert Horvat - Stunts, Simun Jagarinec - Stunts, Snjezana Jersovar - Stunts, Vlado Krosel - Stunts, Masa Mihaljcic - Stunts, Anis Omar - Stunts, Slaven Petrovic - Stunts, Maja Savanovic - Stunts, Robert Stunkovic - Stunts, Filip Zafran - Stunts, Sasa Tomasevic - Stunts, Ivo Kristof - Stunts Coordinator, Tom Delmar - Stunts Coordinator, Philippe Deprez - Technical Advisor, Adam Merims - Unit Production Manager, Dubravko "Baja" Petrovic - Unit Production Manager, Richard Shepard - Screenwriter, Vanja Cernjul - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Lon Molnar - Visual Effects Supervisor, Eric Warren Lindemann - Sound Effects Editor, Greg Hedgepath - Sound Effects Editor, Gábor Tóth - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Sara Marevic - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Sandor Konczwald - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Jozsef Kosa - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Eric Robison - Executive in Charge of Production, Eric Robinson - Executive in Charge of Production, Kate Bowe - Unit Publicist, Cesar Romero - Digital Effects, Branko Knez - First Assistant Camera, Ron Bahara - First Assistant Camera, Kristian Klasan - Grip, Robert Spehar - Grip, Dominik Sokac - Grip, Dominik Rukavina - Grip, Zoltan Horkai - Head Animal Trainer, Nenad Sokac - Key Grip, Trevor Gilchrist - Music Editor, Alice Wood - Music Producer, Richard Bronskill - Musical Performer, Matthew Walsh - Post Production Coordinator, Michael Tinger - Post Production Supervisor, Anita Sum - Production Coordinator, Michael "Miki" Licthenegger - Production Coordinator, Milka Stanisic - Production Supervisor, Mijo-Somi Debanic - Properties Master, Salvatore Placenti - Prosthetic Makeup Effects, Gary Gegan - Re-Recording Mixer, Matthew Iadarola - Re-Recording Mixer, Jessica Clothier - Script Supervisor, Daniella Jovanovic - Second Assistant Director, Josip Lipovac - Special Effects Assistant, Igor Mandic - Special Effects Assistant, Darko Luksic - Special Effects Assistant, Garth Inns - Special Effects Coordinator, Marijan Karoglan - Special Effects Coordinator, Sacha Ippoliti - Steadicam Operator, Karen Ballard - Still Photographer, Dane A. Davis - Supervising Sound Editor, David Sosalla - Visual Effects Producer, Darren Bell - Visual Effects Producer, Elizabeth Kenton - ADR Editor, Alan Freedman - ADR Mixer, Chris Navarro - ADR Mixer, Ladislav "Laci" Markic - Assistant Art Director, Blanka Budak - Assistant Costumer Designer, Dani Kosic - Assistant Location Manager, Nino Josipovic - Assistant Location Manager, Snjezana "Buba" Tepsic - Assistant Production Coordinator, Dubravko Duran - Assistant Properties, Zdenek Vodvarka - Best Boy Electric, Stjepan Klen - Best Boy Grip, Zeljko Zupan - Camera Loader, Charley Medigovich - Casting Assistant, Rebecca Gushin - Casting Associate, Charley Medigovich - Casting Associate, Vaclav Cermak - Chief Lighting Technician, Damir Gabelica - Construction Coordinator, Jana Janková - Costumes Assistant, Nada "Nadja" Albertova - Costumes Assistant, Stana Slosserova - Costumes Supervisor, Elizabeth Kenton - Dialogue Editor, Ivana Skrabalo - Draftsman, Ivan Bajt - Draftsman, Istvan Den - Electrician, Samir Kadric - Electrician, Damir Radinovic - Electrician, Dubravko Topol - Electrician, Darko Ferencak - Electrician, Siesta Casting Agency - Extra Casting, Pragma Studio - Extra Casting, Galaxy Art Agency - Extra Casting, Lenka Stefankovicova - Extra Casting, Gordana Zivkovic - First Assistant Accountant, Zoran Zivkovic - First Assistant Accountant, Jason Solberg - First Assistant Editor, Gregg Barbanell - Foley Artist, Adam DeCoster - Foley Artist, Ferdinando Merolla - Key Hairstylist, Vincenzo Mastrantonio - Key Make-up, Nikolina Koceic - Personal Assistant, Kevin "Webb" Wigfall - Personal Assistant, Jeanette Barrozo - Personal Assistant, Leah Holmes - Post Production Accountant, R.C. Baral & Company - Post Production Accountant, Shaun McGovern - Production Accountant, Elliot Ferwerda - Production Executive, Slavko Novakovic - Scenic Artist, Robert Grzelja - Scenic Artist, Marin Marsic - Second Assistant Camera, Mario Vargovic - Second Assistant Camera, Igor "Fila" Filipovic - Second Unit Assistant Director, Thomas Scott Boyer - Set Dresser, Hrvoje Cernjak - Set Production Assistant, Matko Novak - Set Production Assistant, Ida Srnic - Set Production Assistant, Dino Stevic - Set Production Assistant, Roland Gambiroza - Storyboard Artist, Zdravko Plese - Transportation Captain, Mladen Cernjak - Transportation Coordinator, Pacific Title & Art Studio - Visual Effects, Intelligent Creatures - Visual Effects, Radha Mehta - Set Decorator, Barbara Harris - ADR Voice Casting, Jura Kostic - Clapper Loader, Zeljko Lackovic - Construction Foreman, Zoran Kos - Craft Service/Catering, Marian Banas - Craft Service/Catering, Ivan Danko - Craft Service/Catering, Ivan Grisa - Craft Service/Catering, Lubos Macik - Craft Service/Catering, Pavol Pacesa - Craft Service/Catering, Milos Pupik - Craft Service/Catering, Janka Kavecka - Craft Service/Catering, Denisa Klukova - Craft Service/Catering, Zelimir Hren - Craft Service/Catering, Mladenko Olic - Craft Service/Catering, Milica Aleksic - Craft Service/Catering, Nikola Ojdanic - Craft Service/Catering, Anton Hotko - Craft Service/Catering, Ivan Sambol - Craft Service/Catering, Lario Temsic - Craft Service/Catering, Sebastijan Muzic - Craft Service/Catering, Jiri Patocka - Driver, Stepan Rogl - Driver, Vlado Celizic - Driver, Ronaldo Arbanas - Driver, Ilija Augustinovic - Driver, Jure Bagaric - Driver, Darko Begic - Driver, Davor Bilic - Driver, Mijo Budimilic - Driver, Ivan Buncic - Driver, Nikola Calusic - Driver, Ivan Centa - Driver, Petr Chocholaty - Driver, Zeljko Cupac - Driver, Jiri Dolejsi - Driver, Milos Draksl - Driver, Marijan Fabek - Driver, Ivica Fabicic - Driver, Simon Forjan - Driver, Tom Fot - Driver, Tomislav Gudicek - Driver, Vedran Hinic - Driver, Alen Janjanin - Driver, Roman Janko - Driver, Matús Kelemen - Driver, Ronald Kljajic - Driver, Tomislav Kovacevic - Driver, Stjepan Kovacic - Driver, Miljenko Kurecic - Driver, Goran Lasnicko - Driver, Piero Lisi - Driver, Igor Lisicak - Driver, Kresimir Ljubicic - Driver, Kresimir Lokner - Driver, Aleksander Luc - Driver, Laszlo "Laci" Magyar - Driver, Marko Mamic - Driver, Vladislav Matús - Driver, Slavko Mijalic - Driver, Igor Pecenkovic - Driver, Zdravko Poljak - Driver, Vladimir Prodanovic - Driver, Stipo Pudic - Driver, Radomir Savic - Driver, Tvrtko Senkovic - Driver, Milan Smid - Driver, Boris Vlahovski - Driver, Zdravko Vukovic-Avo - Driver, Miro Zelenika - Driver, Zoran Zrakic - Driver, Alan Zukina - Driver, Lucy Sustar - Foley Mixer, Christopher Alba - Foley Supervisor, Josip Sterle - Generator Operator, Robert Brajkovic - Generator Operator, Mo Henry - Negative Cutter, Pacific Title Scarlet Letters - Negative Cutter, Morana Mitic - Production Secretary, Vesna Regvat - Set Medic/First Aid, Danica Zivko - Set Medic/First Aid, Timothy Willis - Special Effects Technician, Vlado Celizic - Special Effects Technician, Stjepan Zupancic - Special Effects Technician, Rade Basta - Swing Gang, Ivan Cengic - Swing Gang, Jozo Miletic - Swing Gang, Borna Micelli - Swing Gang, Tomislav Palikovic - Third Assistant Director, Ivana Rubelj - Graphic Design, Laurel Schulman - Title Design, Christopher Stack - Title Design, Tiha Gudac - Art Department Coordinator, Nicky South - Assistant Music Editor, Nancy Barker - First Assistant Sound Editor, Vedrana Korac - Assistant to the Director, Ozren "Oggy" Stipanic - Producer's Assistant, Mark Ceryak - Producer's Assistant, Grace Ledding - Producer's Assistant, Sandy Yep - Producer's Assistant, Heather Montgomery - Producer's Assistant, Zdenko Bilandzija - Carpenter, Zehad Jujic - Carpenter, Petar Batur - Carpenter, Branko Cavric - Carpenter, Ante Kutija - Carpenter, Kristijan Majcanic - Carpenter, Goran Kovacevic - Carpenter, Stjepan Krcmar - Carpenter, Nikola Munic - Standby Carpenter, Brian Hanable - Compositor, Phillip Hoffman - Compositor, Robert Montgomery - Compositor, Digital Effects - Compositor, Ranko Ganic - Assistant Unit Manager, Branko Repalust - Armorer, Jolanda Buhin - Additional Hair Stylist, Ana Bulajik-Crecek - Additional Make Up, Caterina Sisto - Additional Make Up, Snjezana "Buba" Tomljenovic - Additional Make Up, Alison Banks - Key Second Assistant Director
After years of covering one war after another, journalist Simon Hunt (Richard Gere) loses his composure during a live broadcast covering the Bosnian War. While his career spirals downhill, that of his long-time camera man Duck (Terrence Howard) goes in the opposite direction. Duck gets a cushy job at the network, while Hunt is left following war after war, unemployed, in an attempt to get back on top. Years later, Duck returns to Bosnia to shoot a "puff piece" of the network anchor Franklin Harris (James Brolin) covering the fifth peace treaty anniversary celebrations, along with fresh young journalist (and son of the network vice-president) Benjamin (Jesse Eisenberg). Duck runs into Simon—by this point, a desperate, cynical freelancer who needs a story big enough to propel him back to the realm of credibility. He tells Duck that, through a source, he has located Radoslav Bogdanović—known as "The Fox"—who is a wanted war criminal with a US$5 million bounty on his head: he is assumed to be in the village of Čelebići in Republika Srpska (Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina), near the border with Montenegro.
Convinced by Simon, Duck comes along to shoot the interview, with Benjamin in tow. On the way, Simon confesses his plan to capture the Fox—something Duck and Benjamin consider insane even to think about. Along the way, the group is mistaken for a CIA hit squad by several groups, including the United Nations police force and the Serbs themselves; at one point, at the initiative of Benjamin, they claim to be CIA agents themselves, using a threat to avoid paying a fee for a tip. Simon, Duck, and Benjamin are then captured by the Fox's guards and taken to a barn to be executed. At the last moment, a team of CIA assassins storms the barn and frees the journalists, but Fox escapes. It quickly becomes evident to the journalists that, even in the international community, there are people who do not wish the Fox to be captured. The CIA orders the journalists to board an airplane bound for the US, but they run away to carry out their plan to catch the Fox. They capture him while he is hunting in the woods without his guards. The journalists then release him, with his hands securely bound, in a village filled with the surviving family members of victims of his war crimes.
The trailer for the Bosnia-set movie The Hunting Party announces it as being "based on a true story", which is, in fact, very loosely based on the events depicted in an Esquire magazine article by American journalist Scott Anderson.[1][2] Published in October 2000 under the title "What I Did on My Summer Vacation",[3] the article talks about a group of five Western war-reporters (in addition to Anderson, the group consisted of two more Americans, Sebastian Junger and John Falk, as well as Dutchman Harald Doornbos and Philippe Deprez from Belgium) who reunited in Sarajevo during April 2000 and over some drinks at a local bar one night decided to make a half-hearted attempt at catching the accused war criminal and fugitive Ratko Mladic. In addition to alcohol, the starting point for their "manhunt" was an article in local weekly newsmagazine Slobodna Bosna notorious for sensationalist reporting that claimed Karadžić, along with his heavily armed security detail, had been spotted in the village of Čelebići in Republika Srpska (Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina) near the border with Montenegro.
Before going into Čelebići, the party of five journalists first came to the nearby town of Foča where they inquired about the safety of their trip among the locally stationed UN personnel. They soon caught the eye of a well-connected local UN officer from Ukraine who became convinced they were a covert crew sent in to apprehend Karadžić and decided to help them out by putting them in touch with a supposedly high-ranking Serbian secret police officer. The journalists decided to play along, and after returning from an uneventful visit to Čelebići, they arranged a meeting with the Serbian secret policeman who, too, was convinced they were a CIABlack Operations team. He also claimed to have an intimate knowledge of Karadžić's movements and whereabouts and in return for ratting him out he wanted American passports for himself, his wife, and their four kids, as well as a cut of the bounty prize.
Despite being not at all convinced of the honesty and sincerity of either the Ukrainian UN officer or the Serbian secret policeman, the journalists decided to play along even further, thus setting in motion an interesting chain of events that in the end led to local NATO officials, American embassy personnel, and apparently even top American security officials from overseas getting involved.
Scott Anderson's conclusion at the end of the article was that UN and NATO not only exhibited precious little interest in actually finding Karadžić, but they also actively sabotage any such meaningful attempt from within their own ranks.
Presidential and government sources in Belgrade announced on July 21, 2008 that Radovan Karadžić had been arrested and arraigned.
Reception and reaction
United States
Critical reaction to The Hunting Party was mixed. The film critic site Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 54% rating, or "Rotten", based on 84 reviews; the "Cream of the Crop" rating was 46% based on 24 reviews.[4] The site Metacritic showed a rating of 54 out of 100, qualifying as "Average or Mixed Reviews", based on 34 ratings.[5]New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis called the film: "A misfired, misguided would-be satire."[6] Owen Gleiberman for Entertainment Weekly stated, on the other hand:
"What makes The Hunting Party an original, gonzo treat is the way that Shepard plants the movie's tone somewhere between hair-trigger investigative danger and the from-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire glee of a Hope/Crosby picture."[7]
Elvis D'Silva of Rediff India, in his article "Fails to entertain", has questioned how much the movie reflects reality of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8]
The movie turned out to be a disappointment domestically, grossing only US$876,087 in US theatres.
It opened small, on September 7, 2007, initially being shown only on four screens in New York City and Los Angeles. It gradually expanded to other parts of USA over the following weeks - first to 40 screens, and then to 329. It ended its US theatrical life some six weeks after its release.
Europe
Almost simultaneously to the US, The Hunting Party was released in Turkey on September 14, 2007. Released as Av Partisi, in its two months at Turkish theaters, the movie managed to gross US$424,048.[9]
Next up was Germany on November 29, 2007, where it was released as Hunting Party – Wenn der Jäger zum Gejagten wird ("When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted") and grossed US$203,705 during just under a month at the theaters.[9]
On November 29, 2007, the movie was also released in Croatia. Its release in that country is particularly notable because most of the movie was shot there and the only two non-Hollywood actors with significant roles in it are Croats Kristina Krepela and Ljubomir Kerekeš. However, the movie received mostly lukewarm reviews in the Croatian media with mainstream print daily Jutarnji list reviewer Nenad Polimac criticizing the stock character portrayal of its villain - The Fox - as a stereotypical Hollywood baddie while suggesting the end product would've been a lot better had the movie been shot verbatim according to Anderson's original magazine article without the application of the Hollywood makeover. Additionally, Polimac's review longs for the days when "prestigious films like Fiddler on the Roof and Sophie's Choice were being shot here".[10] The movie didn't fare much better in Croatian cyberspace as Film.hr's Boško Picula complains that "despite its smooth plot, rounded-off characters, comendable attempts at reaching the virtue of genuineness, and welcome flirting with the absurd, The Hunting Party fails when all of that needs to be put together into a logical unit"[11] while Film-Mag.net's Robert Jukić refers to the overall product as "interestingly conceived, but poorly executed".[12] At present, there is no box-office data for Croatia.
The release in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina where the movie was partly shot was originally scheduled for December 7, 2007, but one day before the premiere, it had to be postponed for a week due to technical difficulties.[13] The movie was finally released on December 14, 2007 with a premiere showing at Sarajevo's Meeting Point cinema attended by businessman Selen Balić, film directors Danis Tanović, and Elmir Jukić, as well as politician Bakir Izetbegović, among others. The premiere was also attended by local actors Miraj Grbić, Snežana Marković, and Semir Krivić, all of whom had minor roles in the movie as Thug #1, Una, and Roadhouse Waiter, respectively.[14] Translated as Lov u Bosni (Hunting in Bosnia), the movie garnered generally positive reviews in the country's Bosnian media with Dnevni Avaz reviewer Anila Gajević extoling its "important political message" and further seeing the movie as an example of "American fiction with emphasized altruism".[15] In mid-January 2008, the movie was released in the country's Serbian part where audiences largely ignored it with a premiere in Banja Luka's Kozara theater attended by fewer than 15 people.[16] The reviews in the country's Serbian media were generally negative: Nezavisne novine's Davor Pavlović refers to the film as being "poorly directed" and concludes that its main flaws lay in "neither being able to treat the subject matter with sufficient seriousness nor to raise its dramaturgical level above that of a typical Hollywood action movie".[17]
Premieres
The Hunting Party has been released around the world, premiering in a number of countries in 2007 and 2008:
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