Excellent adaptation.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Charles Bronson plays Canadian trapper Albert Johnson, who lives alone in his mountain cabin. One day while in town he breaks up a dogfight, then forcibly buys the beaten dog from his loathsome guardian, only to later have to shoot and kill someone in self defense at his home, forcing seasoned lawman Sgt. Edgar Millen to form a posse to arrest Johnson for murder, leading to an extended chase of the resourceful and elusive Albert in the frozen mountains of the Yukon.Good to see Bronson and Marvin reunited(after they worked together in "The Dirty Dozen") and nicely filmed on location, with good action scenes, but unfortunately film is cluttered with two many characters(like the ones played by Andrew Stevens and Carl Weathers) with some poor writing of them, and extraneous scenes, when it is the dynamic of Bronson & Marvin that should be the focus. Story is also quite similar to Bronson's earlier film "Chato's Land", though that was set in the desert, and was a better film too.

Here is a story set in Canada about Canadians and yet it was made by the US. I have to ponder why Canada didn't jump on doing this story themselves. If one wonders why Canadian movies are so lame (about failure, disease, depression, weird humor) I would say it is because culturally we have an aversion to examining ourselves in a critical fashion whereas other countries do it quite naturally. England has made films about notorious murders, same with Australia, or Germany (Tenderness of the Wolves), and of course, the US. This story would have been perfect material for a domestic movie--but I can find no evidence that Canada ever sought to make this story themselves. I can understand with the stars involved that they dramatized it and changed the facts, but if it were done with no stars, and kept to the historical story, it still would have been fascinating. But the government film funding bodies don't like stories that present Canada in a negative light. At least in the English side-I know Quebec has covered stories on its history in fictional fashion. I remember the furor over a Canadian murder case when a Canadian producer wanted to make a film about it and was harshly condemned, so the US made it-and Canadian crew people vowed not to work on it. This is seriously screwed up thinking. If Canada wants to develop a normal film industry it needs to be less reserved and more self-examining.... On the film itself, I agree with the sentiments that you wouldn't see this film made today-and if you did, it would star model-types. Character actors have really gone extinct. Some of the melodramatic touches in the film worked for me (the dog, the trapper Bill), others fell flat(the inserted love story). Still, Bronson was effective (you could totally believe he was a rugged mountain man) and Marvin had some good lines (I am sure Canadian government culture ministers would have axed his comment calling the trappers "savages" if it was made in country).

"Death Hunt" is based on a true story that I've never heard or read about before, so I will further refrain from commenting on how inaccurate the plot is or how badly the makers altered the truth for commercial purposes. The only thing I saw was an action/adventure movie in which my idol Charles Bronson is once again a lone hero fighting off a bunch of vicious men who are after him for unjust reasons. Charlie plays the massively skilled and seasoned Canadian Mountain trapper Albert Johnson; a respectable man who minds his own business and doesn't look for trouble anywhere. After a banal incident with some fellow Mounties, he's wrongfully accused of being the notorious "Mad Trapper"; a psychopath who prowls the mountains and allegedly kills people for the gold in their teeth. A second confrontation with the bloodthirsty Mounties generates a relentless manhunt through the ice-cold and devastating Canadian landscape. The fatigue Sergeant Edgar Millen from the Royal Canadian Mountain Police leads the hunt, though merely to prevent the others from blatantly executing Albert Johnson, as he still believes the man is innocent. In spite of the terrific ensemble cast and the most breathtaking filming locations there are to be found on this planet, "Death Hunt" sadly felt somewhat like a disappointing and routine action movie. In between the shootout sequences, which are admittedly very explicit and grim, there are overlong boring and pointless parts with nothing going on except the showing of beautiful snowy Canadian mountain scenery. Director Peter Hunt (I guess with a name like his you have to direct this movie) unsuccessfully tries to fill up these parts with irrelevant sub plots, like the appearance of the real Mad Trapper and the hostile competition within the RCMP. There even is a seriously strange and unfitting gay-love interlude that I fail to see the purpose of. Charles Bronson's acting relies on his charisma instead of on lines, as usual, and Lee Marvin looks as fatigue and fed up with life as his character. The best performances come from the supportive cast, including Carl Weathers ("Rocky"), Adrew Stevens ("The Fury") and Ed Lauter ("The Longest Yard"). Other reviewers already righteously pointed out the resemblance between this film and the earlier Charles Bronson film "Chato's Land". Both movie feature our testosterone-packed hero as a lone and introvert warrior versus suckers stupid enough to challenge him on his own turf. A vengeful bare-chested Apache in one film, a warmly dressed up Canadian Mountie in the other. Now who says Charlie isn't a versatile actor, ha!

Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin - these two great actors had already starred together in Robert Aldrich's awesome hangdog war flick "The Dirty Dozen" and their casting alone is reason enough to watch a film. Actually, the casting of one of the two would be reason enough, but this flick happens to star both of them, as well as the wonderful Angie Dickinson. Teriffically set in the snow-covered Yukon territory of the early 1930s "Death Hunt" of 1981 is an atmospheric and tough-minded film that is not only recommended to my fellow Bronson fans. This film, which is (supposedly) based on a true story, is set in 1931, but in an area that still seems like late 19th century, a chillingly cold and sparsely populated mountain wasteland that is home to tough trappers, lone hermits and, mainly, people who don't put particular value on a human life.The loner Albert Johnson (Bronson) saves an almost dead dog by buying it from its owner after it has been severely wounded in a dogfight. The owner (Ed Lauter) did not exactly plan to sell it, however, and even though Johnson has paid for his purchase, the owners complaint results in a manhunt. The hunt for Albert Johnson is lead by the elderly Mountie Sgt. Millen (Marvin), who, even though sympathetic towards Johnson's motives, has to do his duty, his black assistant Sundog (Carl Weathers) and rookie Mountie Alvin (Andrew Stevens)...The film bares several resemblances to Michael Winner's great revenge Western "Chato's Land" (1972). While not quite as great as Winner's film, "Death Hunt" is definitely a highly recommendable manhunt-film that stands out in its tough-mindedness and menacing atmosphere. Ever since I fist saw Sergio Corbucci's Italian Western masterpiece "Il Grande Silenzio", which is one of my all-time favorite movies, I have a thing for films set in snow-covered mountains, and the Yukon setting is awesome and makes you almost feel the cold of the Canadian borderland. The film's two stars, Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin are as great as one may expect, and Angie Dickinson plays a small role as Marvin's girlfriend. Ed Lauter furthermore makes a particularly sleazy and unlikable bad guy, and the supporting actors seem like they're coming straight out of 1931 Yukon territory - dirty, brutal and willing to kill everybody for money. The film has some minor flaws, but the atmosphere is menacing throughout and the photography is excellent. For Charles Bronson fans "Death Hunt" is a must-see, and it is also highly recommendable to everybody else!