1980: "The Hunter"
The Hunter is a rather sad final film for the legendary actor, mainly because it's a flat, feeble attempt at a character piece. Papa Thorson, from what I gather, is meant to be a sort of antithesis to the typical hardened bounty hunter character. He's a fifty-year-old disenchanted schlub who is terrible at driving and attached to objects of the past (hence his collection of old, antique toys) who is also expecting a baby with his live-in girlfriend (played by Kathryn Harrold) and is afraid of committing to this new phase of his life. Though McQueen is perfectly adequate in the role, the character only amounts to a series of slight personality quirks that don't really add up to much. I will say that it's fitting for McQueen to play the role since this was during a time when his star was fading and wasn't quite the same spry bad-ass that he was in, say, The Great Escape or Bullitt.
The movie also has no plot to speak of, rather a series of "jobs" that display Thorson as tired and slow yet a dogged professional (there's even a strange sequence where Thorson chases down a bunch of hillbillies with a combine after they steal his TransAm). It was trying to go for a sort of loose "week in the life of..." rather than a tightly plotted story (though there is a recurring element of suspense as Thorson is stalked by some psychopath, which is the only aspect resembling a plot). Like the movie is meant to evoke Thorson's life as a repetitive grind.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this plotless concept and, with the right execution, could be a breezy little character film. But the problem is that the movie never effectively builds up to any sort of emotional payoff. We have the main story of Thorson and his pregnant girlfriend which is the emotional core of the movie, but it never stays focused on them long enough before he's back on another job (meaning another action sequence). It doesn't help that the filmmaking is flat and unemotional as well.
There is this fairly elaborate chase sequence set in Chicago near the end that, on the surface, has all the makings of a climax. But it's just another one of Thorson's "jobs" that has no connection to the rest of the movie and doesn't advance Thorson's story. Then the movie abruptly cuts to the real climax, where, back in Los Angeles, Thorson's girlfriend is held hostage by the psychopath that's been stalking him the whole movie, and this climax is not even half as long or effective as the Chicago chase sequence. Then he and his girlfriend have the baby the same night and all is well.
The movie is kind of a mess, and you're a fan of Steve McQueen, it's not one of his best.
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