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In 'The Hunt,' the persecution of a teacher has a few plot holes

( R ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'The Hunt' follows a teacher who is the subject of hysteria when a little girl tells a lie about him. 'The Hunt' stars Mads Mikkelsen.

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Magnolia Pictures
Lasse Fogelstrøm and Mads Mikkelsen in a scene from THE HUNT.
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Thomas Vinterberg’s “The Hunt” is about human prey. Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen, who won the Best Actor award at Cannes in 2012) is a divorced Danish elementary school teacher in a small rural community who is caught up in a nightmare when a little girl, the daughter of his best friend, tells a sexual lie about him.

The ensuing hysteria has a canned, preordained quality. With few exceptions, no one in the town believes Lucas’s innocence, despite ample reason to do so. Nor does Lucas avail himself of a lawyer. The subject matter, already troubling, is made even more so by Vinterberg’s almost sadomasochistic penchant for propping up Lucas’s martyrdom. He’s gunning for prey, too. Grade: B- (Rated R for sexual content including a graphic image, violence, and language.)

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