They stole his money, turned his woman against him, and left him for dead. Now tough-guy poster child Porter (the appropriately world-weary Mel Gibson) is back, bad to the bone, and a mite ticked off at the Organization that done him wrong. Mucho macho carnage ensues.

It took some major guts for first-time director (and Oscar winner for the script of L.A. Confidential) Brian Helgeland to take a shot at adapting Donald Westlake's pseudonymous, legendarily gritty novel The Hunter for the screen (especially considering that director John Boorman and irresistible force Lee Marvin had already produced a fairly definitive rendering of the source material with their enigmatic 1967 masterpiece Point Blank). Nonetheless this novice auteur managed to pull out a winner. Put simply, this compulsively watchable piece of scuzz-art hits like a well-placed Magnum round, with a wonderful '70s vibe and an awesome rogues' gallery of baddies (including James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, William Devane, and the riotously sadistic Lucy Liu) for the charmingly battered star to play off of--and ultimately wade through.

Knowing how much life is worth motivated Porter to extrodinary acts

This was a great movie that came out in 1998, and really is more than just a ganster hit movie. It truely is unique, and funny. Starting with our main Character Porter laying over a table in a "ally docs" office pulling out bullets, Porter goes on a revenge streak not nescessarily to destroy all against him, but for his $70,000 that was his cut from a take. He is an unusually fair man and just wanted what he earned. Yes, he did figure to kill the gentleman that double crossed him, and it was his wife that shot him. But, someone killed his wife for him, and his ex-friend was easy enough, but the money is the difficult part. His friend gave it to the Syndicate, and they don't want to give it back. It's amazing how Porter goes about his plan, truely a work of art. A good movie in any guys collection, action and humor in one package. Check it out, and its cheap now on amazon.

Outstanding In The Film Noir Genre!

It's not usual, or everyday, that one roots for the bad guy. This film is different however. I don't think any other actor could have pulled this film off, other than Mel Gibson in the role of Porter. Come to think of it, this is the only Mel Gibson film I own. But it's a great one. Before I digress any further, I have to explain my opening remark. Porter (Mel Gibson) is not a good guy. However, he is in the company of characters that are even more rotten than he is. For instance, he is a criminal too: Let's not forget that. However, the old adage 'Honor among thieves' seems to be a motto that Porter lives by. Especially when it is his wife and friend who nearly kill him and take off with the 70 thousand dollars of his hard earned income: Earned by robbing other criminals no less. 70 thousand dollars does not seem like a lot considering what Porter is about to do. But we'll get back to that in a moment.

Porter is on a quest. When Val Resnick (Gregg Henry) double crosses Porter, leaving him for dead, little does he realize the power of hate and vengeance. Hate can motivate even the most timid man, and Porter isn't timid. In fact, he is a very anti-social person. It is surprising he was even married at all. And this is what makes this film so good and so convincing. The nature of Porter himself. What makes him tick? As I wrote earlier, Porter is a criminal too! Only now his future victims are going to be fellow criminals. Criminals only a fool, or in this case, and man on a mission would dare take on.

The films narrative follows Porter as he is trying to claim back the money stolen from him earlier. [NO SPOILERS] He locates and finds Val Resnick who explains to Porter that he has given the money to the syndicate. What is this syndicate? Well, for starters, it is a fraternity of criminals who run the cities illegal activities: From narcotics, prostitution, gambling, you name it. And since Val Resnick wants in on the action, he must pay his way in. Now we see where the money went. No problem right? Well, there is a big problem. This organization Val belongs too doesn't like being pushed around. The problem however, is that Porter wants the money back. And he will go through anyone, anywhere, and in any fashion he see's fit to get it back. I don't wish to put spoilers in here for those who have not seen the film, however, William Devaane and Kris Kristofferson are two individuals Porter must go through in order to get his money. Both men are the numbers 3 and 1 men [respectively] in the heirarchy of this syndicate. This is a great film, and highly recommended. [Stars: 5+]

One tough dude

This is a great film with a bad guy that you root for from start to finish. Action packed, and very smart. Great cast too!