By the time Crystal confronts Athena in the film’s finale—inside a lavish mansion decorated with fine art—Athena admits the entire hunt started because of a viral misunderstanding. A private group chat joke was misconstrued, and people died. The cause of all the bloodshed? A texting error . If the plot is the engine, Betty Gilpin is the nitro fuel. As Crystal, Gilpin delivers one of the most ferocious, physical, and witty performances of the century. With her flannel shirt, deadpan stare, and the ability to snap a neck with her thighs, she is the action hero we didn’t know we needed.
When The Hunt hit theaters (and ultimately on-demand services) in March 2020, the world was a powder keg. The film was released against a backdrop of real-world political violence, a pandemic just beginning to shutter cinemas, and a firestorm of controversy that nearly prevented its release entirely. Branded as "dangerous" by a sitting president and "sick" by media pundits, The Hunt 2020 became a cinematic Rorschach test. The Hunt 2020
When it finally emerged in March 2020, it was under a new marketing campaign that dared viewers to decide who the "bad guys" really were. Here is the secret that the controversy missed: The Hunt 2020 is not a liberal film bashing conservatives. It is a nihilistic satire that eviscerates everyone equally. By the time Crystal confronts Athena in the
★★★★☆ (4/5) Watch on: Peacock, Amazon Prime, Apple TV (as of 2025) Keywords used naturally: The Hunt 2020, The Hunt movie review, The Hunt controversy, Betty Gilpin, The Hunt satire. A texting error
The hunting party is led by the icy, sophisticated Athena (Hilary Swank), who tracks her prey from a control room and delivers TED Talk-style monologues about climate change and pronouns before pulling the trigger.