Hunting Grounds (2025)

🎥Hunting Grounds (2025)

Director: Derek Barnes

Writers: Derek Barnes, James McDougall, James Mark (IMDb also mentions Matthew Nayman in writing credits)

Cast:

- Emily Alatalo as Chloe

- Tim Rozon as Jake

- Jon McLaren

- Milton Barnes

- Mikael Conde

- Eman Ayaz

- Ryan Bainbridge

- Khalid Karim

- Alex Jade

- Russell Yuen

- David MacInnis

- Patrick Garrow

- Simona Severino

- Nathaniel Wainman

Genre: Action, Thriller (with horror vibes according to reviews). MPAA Rating: Not Rated (NR). Duration: 89 minutes (1 hr 29 min).

Release Date: Digital/VOD – May 16, 2025.

Budget: Not disclosed; reviewers note it’s clearly a low-budget or indie production. Rating: No official aggregated rating found (like Rotten Tomatoes score), but early reviews hover in the ‘competent but flawed’ zone.

About the Movie and Production

Hunting Grounds is a lean, gritty action-thriller propelled by a survival story. Chloe (Emily Alatalo) is a mother running from her mafia-connected ex-husband, trying to protect her children. She finds temporary refuge in a rustic cabin and meets Jake (Tim Rozon), a reclusive drifter who seems helpful at first. But things get complicated fast when Chloe’s estranged husband and his henchmen close in, and then deeper secrets come to light.

From what I can tell, production wrapped sometime in early 2025, with a VOD/Digital release in mid-May. It looks like a Canadian production (source: Letterboxd lists the country as Canada). Quiver Distribution handled the release.

Plot Summary and Overview

Chloe, desperate to save herself and her kids, escapes her connected ex-violent entitled Mafioso. She stashes the kids with loved ones, but before she can disappear for good, she’s snatched by the ex’s men. Chloe escapes and meets Jake, a mysterious guy living off-grid. He helps her but you start wondering if he’s really on her side.

The tension ramps up when her husband’s goons show up, and the real twist is that Jake may be more dangerous than anyone else involved. The story rolls into a final, lethal confrontation that critics say pushes homage into uncomfortably familiar territory think too close to Kill Bill: Volume 2.

Plot strengths? It’s adrenaline-fueled. But the writing takes some leap-of-faith moments like a torture scene with a cinder block in a pool that feels more absurd than scary, and Chloe’s badass abilities could use some backstory.

Personal Review: What Works, What Doesn’t

Take this as coming from someone who digs raw, indie action-horror. Here’s my honest take:

What Works

• Gritty energy: It’s clearly made on a tight budget but that gives it a raw edge. It reminds me of the grindhouse thrillers I grew up on, in a good way.

• Action choreography: Fight scenes land hard and feel visceral. Sometimes that’s more engaging than slicker, over-edited studio fights.

• Serviceable performances: Emily Alatalo and Tim Rozon hold it together. They carry the film with convincing grit, even if their characters aren’t always fleshed out.

• Producer passion intact: You can tell this was a labour of love. It doesn't collapse under its own ambition, and that’s respectable.

What Falls Flat

• Questionable logic: That cinder block torture moment why not swim up? It triggers that nagging voice: is my brain too smart for this scene?.

• Character backstory light: Chloe kicks ass but why? Is she special ops? A martial arts master? More context would help us root for her more deeply.

• Homage vs. rip-off vibe: The final showdown echoes Kill Bill: Volume 2 a bit too closely. Nostalgic nod or lazy writing? I wasn’t sure.

• Surface-level story: Reviewers mention the plot feels predictable, and the characters stay on the surface. You don’t get invested beyond the thrills.

• No formal rating feels half-finished: There’s no critical consensus or audience score to anchor expectations. It drifts in that indie gray zone.

On Letterboxd, opinions vary wildly. One user called it “brutal; creepy; lean; mean; short; slight; tense; unrealistic; violent.” Another pointed out the good look despite the budget. It’s that mix that both intrigues and frustrates.

⭐Overall impression: Hunting Grounds is a capable indie thriller that doesn’t overpromise. It knows its lane and doesn’t try to pretend it's more polished than it is. With tighter logic and deeper characters, it could’ve been great. But even as-is, it’s entertaining for the right viewer.

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Conclusion

Hunting Grounds is that late-night streaming pick for when you want something rough, tense, action-packed, and unpretentious. It doesn’t overstay its welcome at 89 minutes, and it delivers on sheer intensity. You’ll want Chloe to win once you stop wondering how she’s so tough and the tension between characters holds up decently.

But don’t expect cinematic finesse or deep emotional stakes. If you’re after big-budget gloss or layered storytelling, skip it. If you’re down for indie grit with a few brain-lapses and some homage references, give it a shot.