n Kosovo in 1999, the Serbs have taken over an Albanian village, forcing a team of U.S. commandos to infiltrate the chaotic warzone (in a highly secretive mission called Operation Black Eagle). NATO explosions rock around them, while tanks and gunfire mow down countless civilians in their path. The team witnesses inhuman slaughters as they prepare to strike, slowly getting into positions that incidentally place them in plain view of merciless executions. It’s too much for Sergeant First Class Aaron Hallam (Benicio Del Toro), who pounces upon a Serbian leader, repeatedly stabbing the man in the throat until his cries are but gurgled gasps.

After the mission is deemed a success, Hallam is awarded medals for his heroism, but these insignificant tokens can’t stop the constant nightmares that jolt him awake at night – all the way through the year 2003. Meanwhile, in the snowy mountains of British Columbia, L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones) tracks an injured white wolf, eventually locating it and releasing it from a snare. At the same time, in Silver Falls, Oregon, the increasingly paranoid and psychotic Hallam has grown accustomed to tailing and tormenting deer hunters, believing that they’re the ones hunting him instead. His skills on the battlefield serve him well in the heavily forested region, providing havens for his elusive figure and cover for his traps. And when he corners his prey, he favors a sizable knife to culminate his ritualistic butchery.

The FBI approaches Bonham, hoping that he’ll help stop Aaron’s four-person murder spree. In order to catch such a proficient killer, they’ll need the best tracker around; plus, Bonham happened to train Hallam to survive and to kill. Agent Abby Durrell (Connie Nielsen) is in charge, but she’s more than accommodating when it comes to giving L.T. the space he needs to operate on his terms – which is to wander into the woods alone, unarmed, and without provisions or tools for communication. “If I’m not back in two days, it’ll mean I’m dead.”

Right from the start, “The Hunted” feels as if its plot borrows liberally from “First Blood” and “Predator,” though with a bit more realism, thanks to well-known military conflicts and more grounded confrontations and bloodshed. But the basic premise of a hunter becoming the hunted in the wilderness is still overly familiar (the finale tritely resorts to booby-traps and a one-on-one showdown). Even though there’s a bit of a twist involving an early apprehension, there are also recognizable nods to “The Fugitive,” not only in the coincidence of Tommy Lee Jones’ casting, but also in a somewhat innocent (or, at the very least, misunderstood) man being pursued across the state. Additionally, a prisoner transport vehicle flips over, enabling an unlikely escape, while locations with water tend to mask tracks.

“The difficult part will be learning how to turn it off.” Some sympathy is derived for Hallam, whose PTSD governs plenty of his criminal actions, clouding the sense of good versus evil. But this story is designed to have a protagonist stop an antagonist, which means that total redemption for the psychologically damaged veteran will be marginal at best. Nevertheless, with William Friedkin at the helm, there’s time for action, violence, and even a car chase (though it’s a brief sequence, not a major set piece, as if a prerequisite for his films, regardless of the form). The morality of the roles, along with examinations of right and wrong, take a backseat to the tense pursuits and threats of death and destruction. “The Hunted” is essentially just an epic chase, with hints of character development serving to break up or transition flights across the city; personal motives and uncompromising military schemes prove to be of minimal importance when the picture quickly devolves into a mere battle of wits and wills. Fortunately, Jones and Del Toro are both convincing, taking their parts seriously; there’s no comic relief, and the countless cuts and stabs are quite brutal. But by the end of it all, not much of the film stands out.

– Mike Massie