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The Hunted (2003)
The Hunted (2003) poster
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3.2

The Hunted (2003)

Drama, Action, Thriller, Crime • 1h 34m

Overview

In the wilderness of British Columbia, two hunters are tracked and viciously murdered by Aaron Hallam. A former Special Operations instructor is approached and asked to apprehend Hallam—his former student—who has 'gone rogue' after suffering severe battle stress from his time in Kosovo.

Best English-Friendly Release

Best Video Release

Both Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray and Paramount Blu-ray are problematic. One reel of the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray looks inferior, and the Paramount Blu-ray has some edge enhancement. Pick your poison between the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or the Paramount Blu-ray? Maybe the Kino Lorber Blu-ray included in the 4K Blu-ray is better

Format

UHD Blu-ray

Length

94 mins

Type

Movie

Alternative Titles

The Hunted (2003)

Last Updated

a year ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release

Both Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray and Paramount Blu-ray are problematic. One reel of the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray looks inferior, and the Paramount Blu-ray has some edge enhancement. Pick your poison between the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or the Paramount Blu-ray? Maybe the Kino Lorber Blu-ray included in the 4K Blu-ray is better

Format
UHD Blu-ray
Length
94 mins
Type
Movie
Alternative Titles
The Hunted (2003)
Last Updated
a year ago
Contributors

More from William Friedkin

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To Live and Die in L.A. poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray (damage removed, improved color/HDR, and best audio) or Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray (best compression but no damage removal and LaserDisc audio from Arrow)

Best Video:

Arrow UK /Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray  > Kino Lorber US 4K Blu-ray, see caps

Arrow has done additional cleanup work removing nearly all the damage in the transfer. They have massaged the color timing and HDR to try and improve what they could. The Capelight may have better encoding but it does not have these improvements. The Arrow encoding is solid and in motion there are no issues whatsoever. The Kino Lorber release has the damage and other issues plus frequent noise due to the lesser encoding.

Some scenes in the Arrow transfer are better, some are better in the Capelight.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Arrow  4K Blu-ray or Image Entertainment LaserDisc
(Arrow is a port of the LaserDisc track, see spectrograms) This track has the best fidelity of any release but does have some channel bleeding baked in. The 2017 2.0 on the Arrow and Shout! Factory Blu-rays was the Dolby Stereo original mix without channel bleeding but that had heavy noise reduction resulting in a very flat and underwhelming presentation. The surround winds up being lessened as well due to the processing. It's a tough choice between the two but the Image LaserDisc audio wins out because it hasn't been messed with and the impact is so unrestrained that no other version hits in the same way.

Capelight and old Arrow Blu-ray included the original stereo mix, but with excessive noise reduction rendering it much less detailed. Kino Lorber only included a painfully defective 2.0 track sourced from somewhere with limited fidelity, volume spikes and screechy high end which frequently ruins the music. The 5.1 remix on most modern release is a processed version that does not sound as good as it once did.

The best and most accurate of the 5.1 mixes is the original version from the 2003 Special Edition DVD in lossy AC3 form.

The best source for the commentaries are from the 2003 Special Edition DVD.

Best English-Friendly:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray (damage removed, improved color/HDR, and best audio) or Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray (best compression but no damage removal and LaserDisc audio from Arrow)

Best Video:

Arrow UK /Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray  > Kino Lorber US 4K Blu-ray, see caps

Arrow has done additional cleanup work removing nearly all the damage in the transfer. They have massaged the color timing and HDR to try and improve what they could. The Capelight may have better encoding but it does not have these improvements. The Arrow encoding is solid and in motion there are no issues whatsoever. The Kino Lorber release has the damage and other issues plus frequent noise due to the lesser encoding.

Some scenes in the Arrow transfer are better, some are better in the Capelight.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Arrow  4K Blu-ray or Image Entertainment LaserDisc
(Arrow is a port of the LaserDisc track, see spectrograms) This track has the best fidelity of any release but does have some channel bleeding baked in. The 2017 2.0 on the Arrow and Shout! Factory Blu-rays was the Dolby Stereo original mix without channel bleeding but that had heavy noise reduction resulting in a very flat and underwhelming presentation. The surround winds up being lessened as well due to the processing. It's a tough choice between the two but the Image LaserDisc audio wins out because it hasn't been messed with and the impact is so unrestrained that no other version hits in the same way.

Capelight and old Arrow Blu-ray included the original stereo mix, but with excessive noise reduction rendering it much less detailed. Kino Lorber only included a painfully defective 2.0 track sourced from somewhere with limited fidelity, volume spikes and screechy high end which frequently ruins the music. The 5.1 remix on most modern release is a processed version that does not sound as good as it once did.

The best and most accurate of the 5.1 mixes is the original version from the 2003 Special Edition DVD in lossy AC3 form.

The best source for the commentaries are from the 2003 Special Edition DVD.

The French Connection poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2012 Fox remastered Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fox remastered Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Fox remastered Blu-ray mono track

Additional Info:

This disc defaults to a lossless 5.1 remix, however in the setup menu, the original mono mix is included as a lossy alternative for the first time since the dawn of home video. The film was given a stereo remix very early on and remained stuck that way for decades.

Best English-Friendly:

2012 Fox remastered Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fox remastered Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Fox remastered Blu-ray mono track

Additional Info:

This disc defaults to a lossless 5.1 remix, however in the setup menu, the original mono mix is included as a lossy alternative for the first time since the dawn of home video. The film was given a stereo remix very early on and remained stuck that way for decades.

Jade poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Jade poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Rampage poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Rampage poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Rules of Engagement poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or France 4K Blu-ray for the extras?

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or France 4K Blu-ray for the extras?

Bug poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Bug poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

The Exorcist poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray retains the revisionist colors with minor tweaks, has OG mono

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray retains the revisionist colors with minor tweaks, has OG mono

Best Audio:

Theatrical: 1985 WB LaserDisc (mono). 1997 WB DVD has the 1979 70mm reissue remix.

Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray retains the revisionist colors with minor tweaks, has OG mono

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray retains the revisionist colors with minor tweaks, has OG mono

Best Audio:

Theatrical: 1985 WB LaserDisc (mono). 1997 WB DVD has the 1979 70mm reissue remix.

Sorcerer poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray. See Chris's review

Sorcerer poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray. See Chris's review

Cruising poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Cruising poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

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Misery poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Best Audio:

Nelson Entertainment USA LaserDisc

Additional Info:

The initial release of the Capelight 4K mediabook had some playback issues with Dolby Vision on Panasonic devices due to an encoding error, the HDR10 apparently works fine, see Capelight’s official response here.

Misery poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Best Audio:

Nelson Entertainment USA LaserDisc

Additional Info:

The initial release of the Capelight 4K mediabook had some playback issues with Dolby Vision on Panasonic devices due to an encoding error, the HDR10 apparently works fine, see Capelight’s official response here.

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1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Philo Vance Collection Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Philo Vance Collection Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Philo Vance Collection Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Philo Vance Collection Blu-ray

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1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Forbidden City, U.S.A. poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Alice in Wonderland poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Germany Koch Media DVD has exclusive extras

Best English-Friendly:

US Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Germany Koch Media DVD has exclusive extras

You Never Can Tell poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration

The Outlaw poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration

The Outlaw poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration

Blue Skies poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration

Blue Skies poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 2K restoration

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Indicator Blu-ray

Best Video:

Indicator Blu-ray > Kino Lorber see DVDBeaver 

Indicator is using a different restoration from earlier Kino Lorber Blu-ray and it has much better contrast and slightly better grain resolution

Best English-Friendly:

Indicator Blu-ray

Best Video:

Indicator Blu-ray > Kino Lorber see DVDBeaver 

Indicator is using a different restoration from earlier Kino Lorber Blu-ray and it has much better contrast and slightly better grain resolution

More Drama on Blu-ray

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UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

MUBI 4K Blu-ray has zero extras

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

MUBI 4K Blu-ray has zero extras

Kiki's Delivery Service poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K restoration shown in IMAX cinemas

Best Video:

2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japanese audio: 2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray/US GKIDS Blu-ray

English dub (Disney): 1998 US Disney VHS has better sounding vocals despite altered music and sound effects, the US Disney LaserDisc has limited audio

Releases from 2010 onward have the original music and sound effects, but distorted vocals

English dub (Streamline): 1996 Japan LaserDisc, available in Ghibli Aa Ippai Collection boxset

Additional Info:

2012 US Disney Blu-ray has dubtitles. US GKIDS Blu-ray has bonuses that are absent on the US Disney Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K restoration shown in IMAX cinemas

Best Video:

2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japanese audio: 2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray/US GKIDS Blu-ray

English dub (Disney): 1998 US Disney VHS has better sounding vocals despite altered music and sound effects, the US Disney LaserDisc has limited audio

Releases from 2010 onward have the original music and sound effects, but distorted vocals

English dub (Streamline): 1996 Japan LaserDisc, available in Ghibli Aa Ippai Collection boxset

Additional Info:

2012 US Disney Blu-ray has dubtitles. US GKIDS Blu-ray has bonuses that are absent on the US Disney Blu-ray

Mulholland Drive poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray is encoded by FiM and doesn’t have the low-pass filter the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has.

Best Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD

Additional Info:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL

Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray is encoded by FiM and doesn’t have the low-pass filter the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has.

Best Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD

Additional Info:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL

Raging Bull poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K announced for 2026

Best Video:

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has slightly better compression than Criterion 4K Blu-ray.

The master in DV looks all but identical to the Criterion’s HDR grade. Detail-wise, FiM’s encode looks like it uncovered a tiny bit of extra high-frequency information that got filtered on the Criterion. See nicolas review

Best Audio:

1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1993 MGM LaserDisc/2002 R2 MGM DVD are the best. See blah-ray https://blah-ray.blogspot.com/2018/01/raging-bull-1980.html

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has better audio than Criterion 4K Blu-ray, from nicolas:

I believe that what’s on Imprint’s 4K is one of the good mixes MGM and Criterion released during the LaserDisc days. Music is powerful and detailed, dialogues have excellent fidelity and ambient sounds have perceptible depth. I compared the "new" 2.0 with the anemic 5.1 as well as the Criterion 4K mix and could clearly hear the improvements.

Best English-Friendly:

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K announced for 2026

Best Video:

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has slightly better compression than Criterion 4K Blu-ray.

The master in DV looks all but identical to the Criterion’s HDR grade. Detail-wise, FiM’s encode looks like it uncovered a tiny bit of extra high-frequency information that got filtered on the Criterion. See nicolas review

Best Audio:

1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1993 MGM LaserDisc/2002 R2 MGM DVD are the best. See blah-ray https://blah-ray.blogspot.com/2018/01/raging-bull-1980.html

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has better audio than Criterion 4K Blu-ray, from nicolas:

I believe that what’s on Imprint’s 4K is one of the good mixes MGM and Criterion released during the LaserDisc days. Music is powerful and detailed, dialogues have excellent fidelity and ambient sounds have perceptible depth. I compared the "new" 2.0 with the anemic 5.1 as well as the Criterion 4K mix and could clearly hear the improvements.

The Wolf of Wall Street poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray > Paramount US, same black crush as the US disc but encoded by FiM and very good new supplements

Additional Info:

Paramount US 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision 

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray has MEL Dolby Vision

Best English-Friendly:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray > Paramount US, same black crush as the US disc but encoded by FiM and very good new supplements

Additional Info:

Paramount US 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision 

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray has MEL Dolby Vision

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has neutered audio compared to OG home video release

Cinema DTS or DVD DTS 5.1 is better and has more bass.

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray lack the bonus features found in the old Collector's Edition DVD release. The France Blu-ray has all extras plus an isolated score.

Best English-Friendly:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has neutered audio compared to OG home video release

Cinema DTS or DVD DTS 5.1 is better and has more bass.

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray lack the bonus features found in the old Collector's Edition DVD release. The France Blu-ray has all extras plus an isolated score.

WarGames poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray in November

Best Audio:

5.1 mix: Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: MGM NTSC DVD

The 5.1 track sounds very good and is said to be sourced from the original 6-track mix used for 70mm blow-up releases, but there is no conclusive proof of that.

WarGames poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray in November

Best Audio:

5.1 mix: Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: MGM NTSC DVD

The 5.1 track sounds very good and is said to be sourced from the original 6-track mix used for 70mm blow-up releases, but there is no conclusive proof of that.

Heat poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray for less revisionist colors, 2022 Disney 4K Blu-ray is controversially regraded and too dark overall.

Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray for less revisionist colors, 2022 Disney 4K Blu-ray is controversially regraded and too dark overall.

Best Audio:

LaserDisc 2.0 (restores censored dialog). Comparison of 5.1 mixes
For the 5.1: LaserDisc AC3 vs US DVD AC3 vs Japan DVD DTS

Heat poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray for less revisionist colors, 2022 Disney 4K Blu-ray is controversially regraded and too dark overall.

Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray for less revisionist colors, 2022 Disney 4K Blu-ray is controversially regraded and too dark overall.

Best Audio:

LaserDisc 2.0 (restores censored dialog). Comparison of 5.1 mixes
For the 5.1: LaserDisc AC3 vs US DVD AC3 vs Japan DVD DTS

Judex poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray is slightly sharper than French Gaumont Blu-ray see caps

Judex poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray is slightly sharper than French Gaumont Blu-ray see caps

A Swedish Love Story poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Curzon/Artificial Eye Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

UK Curzon/Artificial Eye Blu-ray

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The Hunted (2003) backdrop