Weird Wednesdays: American Hunter (1989)

This screening was part of the Alamo Drafthouse’s Weird Wednesday series. For upcoming shows, click here.

I've got a confession to make: I'm committed to AMC Theatres. As a strong supporter of AMC’s A-list rewards program, I go to at least 2 movies a week and am a major reason why many of my friends have a subscription. When the lights begin to dim, and we are left with Nicole Kidman's stunning face on that silver screen during her famous pre-roll, I know that heartbreak will feel good in a place like AMC Theaters.

Despite being such a proponent of AMC, when I heard that the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar was hosting a "Weird Wednesday" screening of the film American Hunter,  I was intrigued for two reasons. First, almost every seat was sold out. Second, I knew nothing about the movie and had no way to learn more about it; the film doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. With so little information to go on, I went into this "Weird Wednesday" presentation completely unsure of what to expect.

Stepping into the packed theater at 9:30 pm, I quickly learned that "Weird Wednesday" wasn't your average screening. Across the canvas, the Alamo staff projected their custom-curated preshow, featuring clips from American Hunter's director Arizal’s other films and setting the tone for what we were about to experience.

The Alamo programmers poured their heart and soul into hyping up the crowd during their live introduction to the film, providing much-needed context into Arizal's filmography and explaining why his native Indonesia was the only country where this movie could have been made. This whole presentation framed the movie as a cult classic that needed to be experienced in theaters, in 35MM no less–all of which left me excited as the projector started to roll.

I would love to give you a synopsis of this movie, but to put it bluntly, there is no story.

While there's a semblance of a plot–Jake Carver (Robert Mitchum's son, Christopher Mitchum) needs to retrieve a "microfilm" with top-secret data before the bad guys do, or else the world's economy will implode–it's ultimately not important. It seems that Arizal had no interest in telling a story, and instead wanted to make a 90-minute action movie.

American Hunter’s dramatic elements feel like a formality, as if Arizal was simply saving his entire budget for the action sequences. During the movie's interpersonal scenes, you have to sit through some of the most painful performances and dialogue you will ever experience, as it tries to build zero-chemistry relationships and tell a nonexistent story. These sequences are lazily put together with little money or effort behind them; there are many shots where the characters are partially out of frame, and many instances where the audio sounds like it was recorded in another room. 

However, American Hunter’s action sequences truly make the movie, as they are so over-the-top and entertaining that they feel illegal to watch. Considering the opening sequence is a firefight that features a car crashing into the 10th floor of a building, the movie leaves the first impression of "Holy shit, what am I about to watch?"

Crashing into the party with style, American Hunter continues to build off this opening action sequence with multiple martial arts fights and explosions. But none of these sequences compare to the movie’s wildest stunt of all: performers jumping out of a helicopter directly into a lake. It is genuinely shocking that no one was seriously injured or killed doing this stunt choreography; stunts this dangerous would never be signed off on in today's age.

Overall, I think that's what makes this movie such a gem. Is American Hunter a "bad movie" on paper? Yes. Is it incredibly entertaining to watch? Absolutely. Even in the movie’s worst moments, it manages to be entertaining for how "fun bad" these sequences are. It feels as though  Arizal wanted every actor to perform as if they were under the influence, delivering dialogue that feels completely unnatural. He understands the movie he wants to make, taking the audience on a fever dream that makes you question reality.

These bad, but entertaining, dramatic moments mixed with the over-the-top action sequences perfectly synergize to create 80s camp that is truly timeless.

It's shocking to think that the 35MM print we viewed was considered lost media until it was found in 2012, because my viewing of American Hunter was an experience I will never forget. And while this was my first "Weird Wednesday," it certainly won't be my last. 

Alamo Drafthouse's presentation truly shows why it is Austin's premier movie theater chain, as it champions the weird and has something for even the biggest skeptic. Screenings like this made me really appreciate what Alamo Drafthouse offers, even as a loyal AMC A-Lister. While I am still married to AMC Theatres, I might cheat on her now and then for a Wednesday night at Alamo Drafthouse.

Author's Note: This article was written before Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's divorce was announced. I'm devastated that my queen has to go through this, and I will be holding a moment of silence during the Nicole Kidman pre-roll when I watch Good Boy at my AMC this weekend.

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