The idea of humans being hunted for sport is such an extreme one that it’s crazy to think the first film to tackle this horrific idea was The Most Dangerous Game 90 years ago. Since then, films like Run for the Sun, Turkey Shoot, and Hard Target have adapted the story to various ends, and just in the last few years we’ve had Get Duked!, The Hunt, and the upcoming The Menu. There’s even been a straight remake released this year. Among this current glut is one that’s likely to go somewhat unfairly unnoticed. Tommy Boulding‘s debut Hounded foregrounds class war and the traditions and embellishment of fox hunting in this blunt but effective little thriller that went down deservedly well at this year’s FrightFest.
A group of four young low-level criminals break in to a country estate to retrieve a priceless ceremonial dagger at the behest of a dodgy antiques dealer (Larry Lamb), they’re swiftly spotted and cattle-prodded into submission. Awakening bound and gagged in a field, they’re given a lecture on society and their place in it by Katherine (Samantha Bond), the matriarch of the estate, and then apparently set free. As they try and get their bearings, they hear the toot of a horn, the thunder of hooves, and the barking of a large pack of dogs. Unfazed by the fox hunting ban, the posh clan have decided to stage their own sport, and the four luckless representatives of the underclass are their target.
It’s fair to say that Hounded, co-written by Ray Bogdanovich and Dean Lines, wears its politics on its scarlet sleeves. While we’re never expected to condone the activities of our ne’er-do-well protagonists, we’re invited to root for them from the outset, particularly given how cartoonishly awful their aristocratic pursuers are. It’s very much a stripped-back survival thriller with a blatant message, and as the the tension mounts Boulding keeps all the rough edges of the hunted tearaways, but posits them as lovable underdogs. Their position in life has been largely dictated by an unfair social system; the hunt is merely an extreme microcosm of their life-long struggles.
The characters themselves are thinly-drawn, but persuasively played. Samantha Bond is a delight as the imperious toff with a twisted code of honour, who insists in playing by whatever the Hunger Games version of Queensbury rules would be. Hannah Traylen adds some depth and a hint of potent, finely-bottled trauma to her bolshy, defiant Vix, and Malachi Pullar-Latchman as Chaz demonstrates a similar kind of bruised authority that the young John Boyega brought to Attack the Block. It’s a shame that James Lance‘s enjoyably deranged fop is relegated to a bit part, but the decision to focus primarily on the resourcefulness and camaraderie of its anti-heroes is a sound one.
Hounded is as scrappy and likeable as its protagonists. Its low budget is evident, and there are moments that don’t make sense – Why would a hunt led by horses and dogs be littered with bear traps? – but this is a lean and mean take on a much-adapted story with a really pleasant sense of the absurd and genuine heart. Some more grime and gore wouldn’t have gone amiss, but it’s a promising showcase for director Tommy Boulding and some of its young stars.
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