This powerful and frightening drama from Denmark is not to be missed. Expertly filmed and acted, this is edge-of-your-seat cinema based on carefully crafted narrative, not run-of-the-mill action scenes.
Danish star Mads Mikkelsen won the Best Actor Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for his role, and richly t’is deserved.
To be honest, I’ve never been more nervous watching a film. This is a drama – not a horror; not a thriller. But crikey, is it a tense watch.
I do have some moral reservations regarding the material. Can such a film cause more harm than good to society? Watch it – because it is superb and worthwhile viewing – and when finished, give a thought to my question and see if you agree with me on what I’m driving at.
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You can find more information on this Danish-language movie on Wikipedia and IMDb.
As always, we recommend you don’t ruin any surprises by reading spoilers or watching trailers. However, if you want to see all the major plot events of this film unfold in miniature format, be our guest:
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Title: Jagten (2012)
Language: Danish
Direction: Thomas Vinterberg
Screenplay: Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg
Cinematography: Charlotte Bruus Christensen
Editing: Anne Østerud, Janus Billeskov Jansen
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lasse Fogelstrøm, Annika Wedderkopp
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…………………COMMENTS LEFT BY READERS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Wonderful Cinema 
Mads Mikkelsen has really grown on me in Hannibal – the trailer for The Hunt looks fabulous. Danish and Sweden dramas are always so disturbingly good.
Will put this on my list! Looks great, thanks for the head’s up….
Without having seen the film, the synopsis leads me to believe it is an important film which needs to be seen. There is today a tendency to expand “sexual” crime to unbelievable lengths — public urination in an alley by a drunken college kid is now considered a sex crime, which means that almost every male I knew in high school and college is now a sex criminal — and to consider the accused guilty without indictment or trial. (Ironically, sexual behavior which used to defined as criminal, like sodomy, is now offered as acceptable behavior.) So a film like this will hopefully make people think about this issue.
Big fan of Jagten. One of last year’s favorites. Mads definitely deserved an oscar nom, oh well..
Earlier film Celebration from the same director, also highly recommended.
Thanks for the tip!
Isn’t that the same guy who played Le Chiffre, the terror financier from Casino Royale?
Yes!
I belive your question is totally valid, I thought the same thing after watching it. I’m a bit obsessed with Mads and I also watched recently “After the wedding”, another of his films and it’s amazing, excellent script and his performance was great, in a very different way from this one.
Interesting review in particular your question:
‘I do have some moral reservations regarding the material. Can such a film cause more harm than good to society? Watch it – because it is superb and worthwhile viewing – and when finished, give a thought to my question and see if you agree with me on what I’m driving at.’
The film was well made, well acted with a good script but I didn’t know what the subject matter was before I started watching it and I found it a little depressing. In answer to your question, although the impact on society is a a tricky one to answer I have to wonder about our obsession with making so many films about violence against and abuse of women and children and that worries me in general. There are plenty of other stories to tell….many of them waiting to be told, just a thought
Hi! Just wanted to thank you for following my blog! And happy to have found your blog, great idea! One movie recommendation I right away thought of… Groundhog Day. Loved it myself very much.
I just watched Jagten thanks to your recommendation and I LOVED it. Mads is an amazing actor and I started watching every movie I could find with him in it.
I don’t think the story line is really about the abuse but about how a simple lie can effect a population, especially one in such a small town. I think the final scene really nailed it, because the damaged had been done, his life would always be ruined and people will always suspect him of the evil. I spent the next few hours thinking about that final scene.
I don’t think this film can cause harm at all. You see the psychologist coaxing Klara into certain answers and then all the parents of the other students doing the same with the imagination of the basement. I think it is a lesson that not only do children just want to please their elders but that a lie is very difficult to retract. I see only positive lessons from this movie.
I’m excited to read more reviews and movie suggestions from you!
Will check this one out. I am curious now! As others had said before, Mikkelsen has become quite popular with his take on Hannibal on TV, a show I am so into right now.
I haven’t seen this yet but am a huge fan of Hannibal the series. Will have to check it out
I dug this guy in Vahalla Rising. This looks great. I’ll have to check it out.
I’m a Mads fan and have also seen Vahalla Rising, but have put this one off because of the subtitles, my daughter PROMISES me she can download them in extremely large font so we will see…. I hope I get to watch it soon. AH Ma God I just heard his voice on the trailer and he sounds so much sexier in Danish.
I found it amazing how much it bordered on horror, I think people’s ability to quickly turn on each other is more frightening than monsters, murders and the dark combined.
I get what you’re saying about whether or not the movie is good or bad for society, but I think tempering people’s tendency toward rash behavior with a reminder that you’re innocent until proven guilty. There have been times even in real life, recently in widely covered stories, where people were accused only to later find out the accuser had lied.
I like Mads, but honestly I think he just has a unique sort of look and charisma or stage presence because he’s sort of dead-pan as far as acting is concerned. He’s just one of those people you like and you don’t know why, like Keanu Reeves gets a lot of roles, but he has about as much facial expression as Mads (albeit Mads chooses better roles) when you think about it.
i love Mads – saw him first in Citroen and Flame – ww2 movie – he is brilliant.
I’ll have to check that one out, never heard of it, thanks.
Reblogueó esto en pilar221by comentado:
Extraordinary film with a brilliant and intense Mads Mikkelsen.
Reblogueó esto en marian395's Blogy comentado:
An extraordinary film. Mads Mikkelsen is brilliant.
Another excellent Danish film worth seeing is A Hijacking (Kapringen) from 2012.
Thank you very much for the tip, Corinna. I will be sure to check it out!