The Hunter’s Prayer

Directed by Jonathan Mostow, The Hunter’s Prayer follows an assassin (Sam Worthington’s Stephen Lucas) as he’s forced to go on the run after refusing to kill his latest target (Odeya Rush’s Ella). It’s familiar yet workable territory that’s employed to watchable (albeit entirely forgettable) effect by Mostow, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, delivers a sluggish, disjointed narrative that never becomes as gripping (or exciting) as one might’ve hoped – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by a pair of distressingly lackluster lead performances (ie Worthington is one-note dour and Rush is hopelessly bland). There’s little doubt, then, that The Hunter’s Prayer‘s passable atmosphere is due to its proliferation of decent action set-pieces and an appealing emphasis on the father/daughter bond that inevitably forms between Stephen and Ella, which, when coupled with a satisfying third act, ultimately confirms the picture’s place as a decent-enough endeavor that feels like it should be a whole lot better.

**1/2 out of ****