FILM INFO: Hank Williams, an amateur hunter, teams up with Bigfoot Hunter Trevor Farleys, and aging bear slayer Willis Hampton. The goal? To sabotage a crazed hunter and win a local hunting competition.
WRITTEN BY: Grant Zeman, Zach Zeman DIRECTED BY: Zach Zeman GENRE: Comedy TIME: 71 minutes.
Contrary to what you may be thinking, "Hunters' Crossing" is not really a film about hunting Bigfoot. It's more about the off-the-wall crazy relationships of a small band of people. Mostly hunters... or self proclaimed hunters. Somewhere mixed into the gobbledygook is a Bigfoot, or what our main character believes to be a Bigfoot, and a hunting competition that is the engine of this story. Zach and Grant Zeman have pieced together a fake documentary that revolves around the competition, murder, friendship, and of course... our would-be Bigfoot, who actually is only present for a short, very short time. How does this all stack up? Well reader, it's a mixed bag. "Hunters' Crossing" is completely watchable and did manage to generate a few chuckles from myself. Even if only over the entire ridiculous situation. The set-up for the film however, a documentary crew filming the competition, only works on the surface. Once that thin veil begins to tear, it does so in a magnificent way. Why not call this film what it actually probably is? A group of friends having fun with a camera. Sure, "Hunters' Crossing" is a hair more complicated than that, but not much. Maybe the problem is that I've seen this fake documentary set-up almost two dozen times since the start of the year. It is true that at one point in history, this was an original, unique and cool idea. Anyone remember that little film "Blair Witch" by chance? Now days however, it's become an excuse to simply have fun recording and call it a movie. I'm not writing directly about this particular movie, just a general statement. Although we know "Hunters' Crossing" is a fake doc, a little more care setting things up would have went a long way. Just because it's comedy, and just because it's actually fake, doesn't mean throwing all common sense into the wind. With things such as clearly seeing the man in the Bigfoot/gorilla costume, even the fake film feeling goes out the window. Then, you have to wonder during all the chaos in the movie, the crew filming the antics don't react to things like... say... murder? They just go on filming. I also couldn't help but wonder why I never actually seen any of the camera crew? Well, save maybe a shadow here or there. We get things like: a front view of the action, and we assume a camera man is filming... but then the angle switches and there's nobody there... where the camera man should have been. Again, you may be thinking this is meant to be a fake documentary. However, some reality would have went a long way. I think the biggest issue I had with this movie was that it never figured out what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a fake doc? Or did it want to be presented as a real film? Zach Zeman never once seemed to make that decision. The "interview" styled inserts made "Hunters' Crossing" feel like a doc. So did the shaky camera. Yet, as I wrote above... the crew never reacted to these "real" events as they unfolded, and the lack of any visible crew, seemingly deliberately, really made for a confusing experience. You begin to find yourself looking for production flaws, instead of enjoying the film. As for the concept and characters themselves? The ideas may be less than original, but the characters are funny... even if completely unbelievable. As a matter of fact? The unbelievable character traits are what make them so comedic. I'd be lying if I wrote I didn't laugh at some of these guys on many different levels. The hilarity comes from the personalities of our cast, and the completely bonkers way they act and react. That's the true fun of this movie. That's what keeps you watching more than anything else. These characters are what allows you to shut down your thinking brain and simply enjoy the ride. Mostly. If you take this film for what it is, and go with it... a lot of fun can be had. A lot of fun indeed. So when it's all over and the credits roll one thing is clear. "Hunters' Crossing" will not be a contender for the next Oscar. That's just fine, considering I don't think that was ever the point. This film is all about having some fun and on that level, it succeeds nicely. I've seen many movies of this style that are simply... unwatchable. This is not one of them. It may not be perfect... but it is funny. When you're feeling the need for some comedy that actually makes you shut down your brain, look right here. "Hunters' Crossing" is funny, stupid, weird and yet... oddly entertaining. That's all I gots to say 'bout that.
