Man Hunt

Released Jun 20, 1941

1 hr. 40 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

93%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Renowned big-game hunter Captain Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon) is hunting in the Bavarian forest when he stumbles upon Adolf Hitler's vacation residence. Tempted by the idea of assassinating the dictator, he's apprehended and beaten before escaping and stowing away on a steamship back to England. Onboard, Thorndike has his identity stolen by the smooth-talking con man Mr. Jones (John Carradine). Both men soon discover that Gestapo agents are swarming London, looking for the would-be assassin.

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Bob W

No doubt cornier -- and definitely intended as propaganda -- but also far more entertaining than the 1976 version of Geoffrey Household's "Rogue Male" with Peter O'Toole. How can it not be with a director like Fritz Lang and a supporting cast that includes George Sanders and John Carradine as the Nazi villains, young Roddy McDowell as a helpful cabin boy, and charming Joan Bennett. The central semi-love-interest is not as not as well handed as it could have been though and the ending feels likes it's been extended for propaganda purposes. Walter Pidgeon, gives a sort of avuncular spin to a role that might have been given to someone more like Leslie Howard (with an actual English accent as the character is a Brit aristocrat). On the whole, well worth watching for fans of Lang, WW II movies, or stiff upper lip British-news and don't mind a lead with a North Atlantic accent.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Gerd

The is film is a masterclass of cinematic style and craftsmanship, that's tragically let down by a bizarre final five minutes that feel like a handbreak turn into a completely different story. By all means watch this excellent little thriller but do so for the journey, not the destination.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/02/23

Full Review

Trout M

I'm a big fan of Fritz Lang's films. The film was well directed and with good acting but ultimately the story was just ridiculous. The Nazis kept pursuing the main English character all the way to England just to force him to sign a statement that the English government ordered him to Hitler. At the end when the main Nazi character admits the Germans just invaded Poland (they were told if they did England would declare war), he stills wants him to sign the stupid statement! He admits at the end he alone wanted to kill Hitler because he's an evil leader.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Abdulla A

Very very boring Man Hunt.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Better than I expected. Usually a war film made during the war is unbearably patriotic, but this one avoids that trap (for the most part). Some unpredictable twists and Fritz Lang's noir atmosphere help it along, as Nazis hunt a British game hunter who got a little too close to the Fuhrer.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

jack s

A well made and suspenseful thriller that's regrettably marred by a weak performance by frequent Lang co-star Bennett as well as a laughably incredulous finale. Pidgeon and Sanders are both (as usual) outstanding.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Fritz Lang

Director

Walter Pidgeon

Captain Alan Thorndike

Joan Bennett

Jerry Stokes

George Sanders

Major Quive-Smith

John Carradine

Mr. Jones

Roddy McDowall

Vaner

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a woefully erratic endeavor that feels like it should be much, much better.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 4, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It is a vivid thriller and [Fritz] Lang is more interested in the personal journey than the political message, yet they twine nicely here as Lang twists the stakes of Thorndike’s ordeal.

Feb 4, 2023

Full Review

Harry MacArthur

Washington Star

You shouldn't be at all surprised to find your knuckles gnawed down a joint or two by the time Mr. Lang arrives at his climax

Aug 9, 2019

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

If one sought proof that his pre-war and post-war work were both products of the same mind, one need look no further than his 1941 film Man Hunt.

Rated: 8/10

Dec 28, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

This farfetched thriller offers some well-crafted noir-like breathtaking chase sequences that are tense and absorbing.

Rated: B

Feb 4, 2012

Full Review

John Beifuss

Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

In 'Man Hunt,' tracking shots are literally tracking shots: When Lang's camera glides, it's in pursuit of a quarry, as if it were participating in what the movie's hero refers to as 'a sporting stalk.'

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 17, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

Renowned big-game hunter Captain Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon) is hunting in the Bavarian forest when he stumbles upon Adolf Hitler's vacation residence. Tempted by the idea of assassinating the dictator, he's apprehended and beaten before escaping and stowing away on a steamship back to England. Onboard, Thorndike has his identity stolen by the smooth-talking con man Mr. Jones (John Carradine). Both men soon discover that Gestapo agents are swarming London, looking for the would-be assassin.

Director: Fritz Lang
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 1941, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2014

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