Set in the 1970s, in New York City, Hunters introduces us to an odd yet eclectic group of American vigilantes who are out to avenge the Holocaust.
It is extremely easy to rip Hunters apart and tear it to smithereens for being “insensitive, brash and unimaginative”. Yes, it stutters and falters and does not seem to know what it is but in all the cacophony and beneath all those layers of mediocrity, violence and gore there exists a story. A story about a tribe and its people – a race that has yet to reconcile with the horrors of the past and the atrocities that continue to haunt them.
While a lot of the show is dramatized fiction, Hunters does highlight the spoils of war – thousands of Nazis (the brightest minds apparently) were welcomed with open arms by the United States to help the nation achieve technological supremacy over the USSR.
As white supremacy, neo-nazism and far – right movements steadily rise, gain momentum and continue to rebel against democracy and its tenets. Hunters harkens back to a time when fascism was at its peak. Enter the 21st century and it now seems like this is the new normal.
True. The show exaggerates the atrocities and seems to blend fiction and reality – which does seem to go against its premise of justifying the ‘hunt’. They didn’t really need to create that chess game to be honest. But, the show is extremely relevant even today.
Al Pacino hunting Nazis. Be honest. Do you really want to skip this one? Also, don’t expect a gratifying ending because there isn’t one.
P.S. Carol Kane as ‘Mindy Markowitz’ is the true star though.