User reviews

One of the biggest Swedish box-office hits of the last couple of decades, this is an almost western-like story about a man who returns to his backwater town when his father dies.

Erik Bäckström (Rolf Lassgård) left his small hometown in the north of Sweden when he was younger to become a policeman in the big city. Now that his father has died he returns to the small town. He starts working on a long-running case of people poaching reindeer, but he soon discovers that not many people have any real interest in the case being solved. Eriks loyalties are tested along with his views on right and wrong.

This movie is quite solid, more so than most Swedish movies i might add. But still there are a few flaws that needs to be discussed. First of all this movie is not very sympathetic in it's description of the people from northern Sweden. Rather they are portrayed as a bunch of racist, moonshine-drinking rednecks. A view to be questioned no doubt. Also what strikes me about this movie is the almost complete lack of emotion it presents. There are terrible things going on on screen, brutal and terrifying, but they are examined at a distance and without any real moral judgment. It feels clinical.

What makes this an enjoyable experience despite the flaws though are several things. Rolf Lassgård is very good in the lead as the policeman, and also the rest of the cast perform well. Especially i might mention Lennart Jähkel as his brother. Also the movie is exciting and has quite a lot of suspense. And while the director shows very little emotion in the way he portrays the events of the film, there is still much emotion to be had. Jägarna is a movie that makes you think.

I rate it 7/10.

THE HUNTERS is a crime thriller about a Swedish cop who returns to his home town to discover a hotbed of crime and deceit as he pursues a reindeer poaching gang. This stars WALLANDER actor Rolf Lassgard and it does feel very much like a Henning Mankell story, by which I mean it's a classic slice of Scandi-crime dripping with atmosphere and suspense.

The story that plays out is very nearly as icy as the chilly background in which the tale takes place. Certainly it's an exploration of the dark side of the human soul, with a typical police procedural in the first half giving way to something much more sinister and murderous in the second. Rolf Lassgard and Lennart Jahkel are excellent in the lead roles as a pair of brothers driven apart by living at opposite ends of the moral spectrum.

The only reason I'm not a massive fan of this genre is that I don't like the way that the criminals are never made to really pay for their crimes, due to the limitations of the justice system (which are all too apparent here). I prefer the sort of film where the protagonist goes outside of the law in order to bring the bad guys some true justice. Still, THE HUNTERS trades crowd-pleasing vengeance for chilly realism, offering no easy answers or a perfect ending; it's as dark and quietly devastating as it gets.

The hunters is a steady and mostly enjoyable thriller. I liked some of the acting and I liked the sense of the setting as well. I thought Rolf Lassgard was solid as Erik and Jarmo Makinen was actually a standout in his villainous role. The story line on paper is good and I felt like it was heading in a direction that I really liked but as the film went on I ended up feeling a bit let down. I expected a darker and more brooding tone than was actually delivered. I felt that as it progressed parts of the storyline and acting started to delve into the unbelievable and as a result of this it detracted from the overall quality of the thriller. I feel like the tone wasn't serious enough to coincide with events in the film and at various stages in the film things started to veer towards the ridiculous. The villains were over exaggerated, which turned it from a credible murder story into a story line that escalated too quickly without real substance. Overall I felt a bit disappointed and underwhelmed.

The drama gets the viewer involved, some of the scenes are intense.

You work up a hatred for a group of bully, savage like locals, and local people hypocritically convincing themselves there is no local crime, actually turn a blind eye to it.

What transpires is a drama which at the conclusion does not deliver the just desserts to the characters that it should.

There are some appalling crimes and corruption, but apparently the justice system cannot take any action.

The opening scene of the slaughter and butchery of reindeer is to be avoided.

The story here is kicked off by reports of illegal slaughter of reindeer. Local police turn a blind eye to the culprits, so a Stockholm detective, who was originally from the area, returns home and investigates. Things get complicated when he discovers his younger brother is involved but worse than that, the poaching has escalated into murder.

I had seen the sequel to this Swedish thriller recently, a film called False Trail which was made fifteen years after the first part. I am guessing that The Hunters is a fairly influential film, as it comes very early in the cycle of Nordic Noir movies which have become very popular over the course of the last decade or so. Like others in this bracket, this one derives a fair bit of its interest from its local flavour, in this case the chilly expanses of Lapland. Like False Trail, this one also presents a mystery which is resolved for the audience quite early on, leaving the tension to come from knowing who is dangerous and wondering how the central detective will resolve the case. For me personally, I would have preferred a mystery over the combination of thriller with family drama which both films essentially boil down to a large degree, with the detective character put in a compromised position where he has to weigh up his family loyalty over his wider role to society as a policeman, with the added complication of small town suspicion of city people ever present. I think both films are broadly similar in terms of quality, with neither being especially excellent. I thought they were more an example of a solid, if unremarkable, detective stories combined with family drama with a northern Swedish backdrop. Nothing wrong with any of that of course but I would say these are good films as opposed to the best Nordic Noir has to offer.

"Jagarna" was brought to Canadian audiences via the Showcase TV network during a Scandinavian film festival -- and thank goodness it was! What an amazing character-driven story which not only delves into a poaching conspiracy but the emotionally-charged relationship between two brothers. Pure brilliance and highly recommended. An all-time favorite.

All (relatively) closed circles like distant villages, churches, schools have something to hide, but if guns and/or money is involved (often boosted by greed and booze), then felonies are eager to happen. And if there is a need to cover up a small one, then bigger ones are likely to happen - particularly if there is someone near by to hide it from...

Such is the framework of events in Jägarna - after a police officer from Stockholm moves back to his small hometown in Norrland in northern Sweden and begins to deal with a long-running case of illegal hunting. When someone outside starts digging, consequences can be fatal... And by the end of the day, there is no winner at all. Such hints progress throughout the film, and its ending is a proof of that. It seems that the protagonist Erik (credibly played by Rolf Lassgård) had no idea where his actions would lead him to. As for the rest of the cast, all are good as well, although I shrug my shoulders when I read that Lennart Jähkel received Guldbagge Award and Lassgård did not; by the way, Lassgård-Stormare confrontation in Jägarna 2 was more convincing to me.

Jägarna is a decent film, where the interaction of good directing, acting and stunning Nordic nature provide a valuable experience. However, most women and some men would probably dislike its naturalism and harsh depiction of deer hunting.

This movie is very believable and uncomfortably so. A small and peaceful society being shattered by some very violent deaths. Apparent random murders that they all could have committed. I couldn't help thinking of Jon Voigt in Deliverance, when following Erik Bäckström's fight, first for justice later for his own safety.

This thriller is highly recommended, except if you live in a small and remote hunter's community :-). It feeds on the tradition born from the books of writers Wahlöö & Sjöwall 30 years ago.

Sundvall has a good ear for dialogue, and uses his locations to great effect. One main problem with contemporary Swedish movies is the wooden dialogue, which is largely avoided here. The story holds together well in the beginning, but the naturalism and believability Sundvall builds up completely vanishes towards the end, which is unfortunate and ultimately makes this a rather average movie. The script has some irritating holes, like the subplot with Lassgårds love interest which is mysteriously left unresolved. The last act is also a indication of the current "Americanization" of Swedish cinema which is a rather sad phenomenom. We should make movies on our own terms and be wary of too many american influences, those estethics tend to become overblown, predictable and unrealistic when translated into Swedish.

Sundvall has made an intense movie about illegal hunting. It's loaded with tense and excitement. Actually, it's about people living in a desolated place, not wanting to play with the rules of the community. We haven't seen such an intense movie in Sweden for at least a decade.

For the last years I have become very found of the scandinavien school of cinema. Great contemporary actors and directors achieved a high reputation throughout international distribution for the last 30 years, so I have always given my good to go before the chance of enjoying a new movie from either Denmark, Sweden or Norway. Drama and thriller is probably the genre most main directors feel at ease working on, so we have seen many. Jägarna, does not bring any new input to the genre. Though pretty well acting, the plot does only bring topics we have already seen before too many times.

Let us take TV Series Broden (The Bridge) Season1 where Swedish female cop meets Danish cop to help on a serial killer case, and mix it with some good feature films like Druk (Another Round) where a group of friends meets up to get drunk in bars and restaurants, and you will have Jägarna.

Jägärna background story - the rein deer hunters we are just introduced at the beginning- is just the excuse for a "wild redneck bunch of killers" vs "good cops team" with forced last-minute limit situations which at some point may not be credible. Though entertaining, the story is not working deep enough into the main characters falling by the middle into a classic good vs evil confrontation. Yet some characters can be found tender giving the story a side twist by the end. Sorry, I was expecting more with on this one , yet as a dejà-vú story to me, does not deserve more than a 6.

It is clearly not a masterpiece, still it is a very good stylish take on noir. We don't have much chance to watch such films from Sweden, so, one shouldn't hesitate when facing it. There is nothing much original into it, but the masterful cinematography embraces you in this dark dark dark world. Most of the time we have a feeling we are somewhere between AZ and NM with the local bar, the trigger-happy few, the main street where you expect to spot the Olsen Mercantile... You land in an environment much more troubling than a flowers village somewhere in Sweden.

Foreign audience gets a different vision from Sweden, where horrible things can happen like in any other place of the world. Funny thing, is that I couldn't thinking about the Don of Mar-a-Lago, but I don't really know why. It added to the fun.

Probably I should start by pointing out that I'm extremely biased regarding anything that comes out of Scandinavian countries. Pretty much by default, I love everything that is linked to Norway, Finland, Sweden, and to a slightly lesser extent Denmark and Iceland. Love the nature & versatile landscapes, the climate, the languages, the culture, the music (especially metal), the people, and - of course - the television series and movies! In other words, I was destined to love "The Hunters" before I even started watching, but it also genuinely is worth seeking out; trust me.

"The Hunters" revolves around two brothers reuniting after several years and following the death of their father. The oldest, Erik, was a successful cop in Stockholm but decides to move back to the homestead; - far north in rural Sweden and not too far from the borders with Norway and Finland. The youngest, Leif, always remained here at the family farm, and is somewhat frustrated because he never put his talent of opera singing to a good use and never really achieved anything. Joining the local police force, Erik gets assigned to the case of frequent illegal poaching of moose in the area, but quickly learns that the locals - including his former friends and own brother - are running the whole business. When the poachers accidentally kill an innocent activist, tensions go through the roof.

At my most skeptic, I must admit I expected for "The Hunters" to be even better. The script has a few holes and loose ends, and especially the character of Erik isn't too plausible. For a supposedly superior big-city copper he makes a few unforgivable mistakes (like allowing for his key witness to be abducted right in front of him). Everything else is exactly what I hoped for, though. The atmosphere is raw and gritty throughout, the villains are mean and merciless, the scenery is breath-taking, and the increasingly unbearable relationship between the two brothers is marvelously transferred to the screen. Lennart Jäkhel is stupendous as Leif, and he truly succeed in making his character come across as a combination between menacing, loathsome, miserable, and pitiable all at once. Jarmo Mäkinen is also very good as the mandatory psycho in the hunters' group. Can't wait for the sequel, which stars the one and only Peter Stormare speaking in his very own native language for a change!

I dont know how many times i have seen this movie. Its so great. Its about a small society where everyone know each other and protect each other (in this case not a good thing). Its also about a will to do the right thing even if it will make you a loner and enemy to nearly everyone you know. And all this in a beautiful north of Sweden. This movie can be seen as a modern nordic Western movie.

And eventhough someone wouldnt like the movie you can always listen to the beautiful movietheme who sets the sence of melancholy right from the start.

This is a great movie about how it can be in the north of Sweden, Norrland. The story is about a police, played by Rolf Lassgård, returning to Norrland after have lived and worked in Stockholm, the capitol of Sweden. Soon after his return he starts a investigation about illegal hunting in the area. This leads to lots of conflicts with the people in the area.....

Got this on DVD not long ago but having watched it now, can I have my money back and the time it took to watch it? Perhaps we have been spoiled by some fine Nordic Noir in the last few years,and thus bad writing,improbable "plot twists" and incoherent "drama" stands out all the more...I really don't know. Loved the stunning landscapes,it's only redeeming quality but the whole"people who live in remote,rural parts of the world are bloodthirsty ,sadistic,racist,etc,etc ,bla,bla,bla" idea has been done to death. Let's be honest,the real weirdos live in big cities... Sure,Peckinpahs "Strawdogs"is a masterpiece that defines this type of movie but this flick does not reach up to old Sam's ankles... This"Deliverance"in Norrland falls flat on its face. I've been told that the sequel,that I've bought but I've yet to see, is better... Boy,let's hope so... T

This is very engrossing and while it is not a mystery as to the culprits, it keeps you on the edge to see if justice can be served and maybe with our own modern day TV viewing, looking for everything to fall neatly into place, and it doesn't. It shows what can happen in real life, how the community is affected, what the community thinks and wants as opposed to what is right/wrong. This is a great thriller,keeps you in the film all the way along and you can see sometimes in life, it's not always right that prevails. The atmosphere and setting really makes the film and while this landscape is foreign to me, it gave me a good feel for life there in terms of the film (I did look up the towns population which is small).

It is realistic as you know it won't be some Hollywood perfect ending where everything is tied up into a nice neat bundle. Mind you, not Hong Kong genre either which always seems to end bad. Differences in endings across the Pacific I suppose!

I remember seeing this movie a few years ago and back then I thought that this was a fantastic movie. So earlier today I watched it again to see if it still was as good as I remembered. Gladly I can say that The Hunters still is a really solid! Sure that the plot sometimes feels a bit slow, but the beautiful scenery of northern Sweden and the amazing acting by Rolf Lassgård makes up for all of that. I know that some people thinks that this movie is quite bad and feels rushed sometimes, but if you haven't watched it yet I would strongly recommend to do so!

This movie is a horrible melodrama about a bunch of country-fellows who performs illegal hunting. The movie, which is stuffed with silly clichés, accellerates into a more and more twisted story including a totally unneccessary rape-scene. I felt really annoyed with "Jägarna" and the most striking thing is that there is absolutely no distance to the characters, story or environements - no sense of humor. The first 30 minutes I was a bit amused because I was certain that the portraits of the rural population was humorous and (maybe) satirical, but I was wrong - totally wrong. There is no tongue-in-cheek whatsoever and it makes me mad because it makes the movie somewhat elitistic: rural people are stupid and drinks nothing but moonshine.