From William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, comes this cat-and-mouse thriller starring Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones.

Unfortunately for us, the film is more in keeping with the director's recent below-par output of the once-acclaimed director than his classic horror masterpiece.

Aaron Hallam (Del Toro) is a decorated veteran of the war in Kosovo, whose horrific experiences have had a shattering effect on his mental state.

Hiding in the Oregon woods, Hallam spends his time stalking game hunters, choosing his moment to strike before executing and disembowelling his human prey in a ritualistic fashion. Enter L T Bonham (Jones) - a professional tracker and instructor in the art of survival, recruited by the FBI to hunt the hunter before another innocent life is lost.

In a plot full of ridiculous contrivances, it turns out that Bonham taught Hallam everything he knows about killing, making him the ideal candidate for the job of capturing the dangerous killer. What ensues is a series of chase sequences in which Hallam is caught, escapes, is recaptured and escapes again, eventually culminating in an anticlimactic showdown between teacher and student.

Although The Hunted contains some genuinely thrilling moments, any real sense of excitement is soon swamped by the repetitive chase structure of the film, while the nonsensical storyline certainly doesn't help involve the audience in what is essentially a violent rehash of The Fugitive.

Rating: 4/10

SIMON CRAIG