Willem Dafoe brings a bedraggled nobility to this intriguing cross between character piece and men's adventure story. Based on a novel by Julia Leigh (Sleeping Beauty), the film follows a lone wolf mercenary named Martin (Dafoe) hired by a sketchy biotech company to track down what may be the last remaining Tasmanian tiger (an ungainly critter that resembles a stretched-out jackal). As hunter and prey engage in an uneasy series of near misses, Martin's single-minded resolve to his mission is tested by a growing attraction to a widow (Frances O'Connor) and her two children. What's more, he discovers that the local townspeople (led by the always welcome Sam Neill) may not take too kindly to having their wilderness defiled by an outsider. Taking full advantage of the gorgeous landscapes of Southern Australia, director Daniel Nettheim adopts a pleasingly old-fashioned approach to his action scenes, where the tension is drawn out over extended takes, rather than dispensed with via a blizzard of quick cuts. (That said, a brief, brutal skirmish between Dafoe and a two-legged assailant would do the Bourne movies proud.) The film proves almost as sure-footed when it ventures away from the great outdoors, courtesy of some sterling backup from Neill and O'Connor, the latter being particularly affecting as a woman unwilling to let the past fade out of view. Ultimately, though, what drives The Hunter is Dafoe, who delivers a beauty of a laconic performance, hinting at a lifetime of regrets and missteps with the smallest of gestures. For a Man of Few Words, he sure manages to say an awful lot.
