Three journalists covering the end of the war in Bosnia set out to do what NATO, the CIA, and the UN won’t—track down the country’s most dangerous and wanted war criminal.

Like Richard Gere’s last movie THE HOAX, THE HUNTING PARTY is an interesting film made more impressive due to the fact that it’s based on a true story. Taking its cues from Scott Anderson’s Esquire article “What I Did On My Summer Vacation,” this is a well-written, well-shot, all around entertaining flick that seems to have flown under the radar.

I enjoyed Richard Shepard’s previous directorial effort, the Pierce Brosnan-defiling THE MATADOR, and this movie contains some of the same style and comic edge as the former. Shepard mixes moments of serious drama, exciting suspense and satirical comedy, as well as asks some intelligent questions about world politics and the response to the Balkan genocide. There may be some atonal spots here and there, but for the most part the shifts in genre feel well-balanced. I also enjoyed how the film enlightens the audience about the atrocities of the Bosnian/Serbian war but still manages to bring some lightness (“Don’t stare at the midget!”) to the situation without feeling disrespectful or mocking.

I’m a fan of Terrence Howard and his recent stardom, and here he plays well opposite Gere’s more serious character. Up and coming actor Jesse Eisenberg is also good as the rookie reporter, mostly acting scared and confused, but with moments to shine here and there. Add to that Diane Kruger and Dylan Baker (in a scene stealing cameo) and there’s some decent talent on display.

Some of the “factual” events in THE HUNTING PARTY may be a little hard to swallow, but Shepard is up front about what’s real and what’s embellishment through a nice little coda at the end of the flick. That honesty helped me sit back and enjoy what turned out to be a surprising movie.

Video: 2.35:1 widescreen. Shepard shoots with style and detail, as displayed in some of the more expensive looking war scenes.

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital surround. Good use of the surround during the battle sequences, especially in the beginning.

For a movie that got pretty much zero theatrical publicity (at least I hadn’t heard much about it), there’s a surprisingly decent amount of features available here, including a great interview with the real guys who influenced the movie.

Commentary by writer/director Richard Shepard: I’ll give this to Shepard; he doesn’t let up at for pretty much the entire hour and forty minutes. There’s some good info to be heard here if you’re interested.

Deleted Scenes (5:22): A few little additions. They even work in a great blooper with Richard Gere and the ball-grabbing midget.

Making THE HUNTING PARTY (9:19): A nice featurete about the film’s production, more concerned with telling you how and why they made the movie then just selling it to you like most marketing material.

The Real Hunting Party (29:40): Director Richard Shepard sits down and has a beer with two of the real journalists who the movie is based on. A fascinating, often funny, conversation about how this crazy story took place.

“What I Did On My Summer Vacation”: The original Esquire article in hard to read DVD format.

A Theatrical Trailer.

I can’t tell you why THE HUNTING PARTY was never given a wide release. It’s not a huge blockbuster type movie or an Oscar worthy one, but, given my non-existent expectations, an entertaining watch nonetheless.

Extra Tidbit: The crew wanted to shoot more in the Bosnian countryside but couldn’t due to the still very real threat of unexploded land mines.