I was very interested in 'Happy Hunting' once I found out it was directed and written by Mel Gibson's son Louie Gibson. Mel is one of the finest directors working in Hollywood today so I thought it would be very interesting to see if his son possessed any of the same talent. So does he? Possibly, it was harder to work out than I had anticipated. 'Happy Hunting' is quite a strange film. It sets out to be strange, but I think managed to be even stranger than intended and in unintended ways. I would say I enjoyed it, without loving it.

There's a point halfway through the film where you will likely ask yourself how are they going to stretch this out for another 45 minutes? They manage it though and while I wouldn't say the pacing of the film is its strongest point, it's not a bad effort considering the way the film is set up. I also liked some of the creativity used in certain scenes. This is the main indication to me that Louie Gibson might have some real talent because creativity in film making seems to be the thing most directors struggle with today. It is sorely lacking in many modern films, however not this one. I wouldn't call this a "must-see" but if you stumble across it on Netflix it's worth a watch and you'll get basically what you're promised.

It seems that as long as B movie will be made, there will always be people churning out rip-offs of the classic Richard Connell short story "The Most Dangerous Game". Actually, I can understand that, because even after so many decades of this old story being rehashed, it is still an irresistible premise. And I have seen over the years some pretty good cinematic tellings of this premise, from "Raw Courage" to "Surviving the Game".

As for THIS particular telling, it is neither one of the best tellings or one of the worst tellings. It is a competent telling, nothing more or less. There are some really good things about it here and there. For what wasn't a big budget, the movie looks very nice, from the good cinematography to some well chosen locations, together which make some stunning visuals at times. There is also a very effective seedy atmosphere; you can really feel the dust, grit and poverty of this environment. The movie is also interesting in that the so-called hero isn't completely likable - he is a killer, drug pusher, and an addict. The addict side of this character does bring some interest, in that the character has to somehow satisfy (or fight) his addiction while he is being hunted.

There are also some good action sequences, exciting and bloody. However, the stuff between the action moments is where the movie is weak. Between the action sequences, the movie is often slow and ponderous instead of managing to grab you by the throat and throw at you non-stop tension. The opening 30 minutes, setting up the situation, will also likely throw off some viewers because of how uneventful it is. Also, while I didn't really object to the ending (which I will not spoil),I do see that it will anger some viewers.

Weighing the good with the bad stuff, you end up with an okay rehash of this old formula. If you like this formula and don't mind seeing it again, you will probably find this movie watchable - certainly better than some other tellings. It's not bad, but it could have been fine tuned somewhat before filming started.

A pretty OK survival thriller (not a horror) about a junkie / alcoholic who drives from town to town, desperately trying to find money (and also hoping to visit his daughter in Mexico?). The movie starts with him trying to scam two other junkies, which results in both of them dying, him escaping the scene and a friend of these junkies following him (along with his son or something). Then they stumble upon a town of rednecks who tell everyone about their hunting traditions, hiding that they're hunting for humans.

The kidnapped "participants" then run through the desert (close to the border with Mexico),trying to escape the rednecks who hunt them. The junkie has some tremors, visions and other side effects of withdrawal, but none of them really affect the story. The practical effects are decent, but the computer ones (like the ones they made for blood splashes) are pretty poor (especially in the shack shooting scene). The final confrontation with one of the hunters also makes no sense.

I can only agree with another review saying it's a "watchable 5 or 6", it's exactly what it is.