The Hunter

Title	Year	Medium	Creators / Contributors	Notes
The Hunter (short film)	1931	Animated film	Walter Lantz (dir.), Walter Lantz Productions	Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon. Oswald hunts a crafty fox to satisfy a demand for a fox-skin coat .
The Hunter (Steve McQueen film)	1980	Film	Dir. Buzz Kulik; starring Steve McQueen	American action-thriller; McQueen’s final film, based on bounty hunter “Papa” Thorson .  Received largely negative reviews (54% RT) .
The Hunter (Iranian film)	2010	Film	Dir./star Rafi Pitts	Iranian drama about a grieving father/lover who becomes a fugitive in the woods.  Nominated for the Golden Bear at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival .
The Hunter (Australian film)	2011	Film	Dir. Daniel Nettheim; Vincent Sheehan (prod.)	Australian drama based on Julia Leigh’s novel. Willem Dafoe plays a mercenary hunting the last Tasmanian tiger .  Generally well-reviewed (72% RT) .
Cacciatore: The Hunter (TV series)	2018–2021	Television series	Creators: Marcello Izzo, Silvia Ebreul, Alfonso Sabella	Italian crime drama (RAI) based on magistrate Alfonso Sabella’s memoirs .  Follows anti-mafia manhunts in 1990s Palermo; noted for its realistic portrayal of the mafia/police conflict.
theHunter (video game series)	2009–	Video games	Expansive Worlds / Avalanche Studios	Realistic hunting simulation games. First released as theHunter: Classic in 2009; later stand-alone titles include theHunter: Primal (2015) and theHunter: Call of the Wild (2017) .  Praised for open-world realism.
The Hunter (Parker novel)	1962	Book (novel)	Donald E. Westlake (as Richard Stark)	First Parker novel. A hard-boiled crime thriller in which career criminal Parker is double-crossed and hunts down the men who betrayed him .  Basis for several films (e.g. Point Blank (1967), Payback (1999) ).
The Hunter (Leigh novel)	1999	Book (novel)	Julia Leigh (author)	Novel about a shadowy agent sent to Tasmania to find the last thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) .  Received positive reviews and prizes; adapted into the 2011 Australian film of the same name .
The Hunter (French novel)	2024	Book (novel)	Tana French (author)	Irish crime novel (sequel to The Searcher). Follows retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper on a murder investigation in rural Ireland. Noted as French’s ninth novel and praised for its subtle character drama .
The Hunter (Blondie album)	1982	Music album	Blondie (Debbie Harry etc.)	Sixth studio album by rock/new wave band Blondie, released May 1982 .  Conceptual themes of pursuit and search; includes singles “War Child” and “Island of Lost Souls.”  Mixed reviews and moderate chart success.
The Hunter (Jennifer Warnes album)	1992	Music album	Jennifer Warnes (singer)	Seventh studio album by Jennifer Warnes, released 1992 .  Blends rock, pop and covers (e.g. The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon”). Received mixed reviews and modest chart impact.
“The Hunter” (song by Albert King)	1967	Song (blues)	Albert King (artist); Booker T. Jones et al.	Blues track from the album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967). Co-written by the Stax house band. It became one of King’s signature songs and has been widely covered .  (Ike & Tina Turner’s 1969 cover charted in the US.)
“The Hunter” (song by Dokken)	1985	Song (rock)	Dokken (band: Don Dokken et al.)	Heavy metal single from Dokken’s album Under Lock and Key (1985) .  Glam-metal track that reached #25 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart . Notable as a fan-favorite single.
Orion (mythological figure/constellation)	Antiquity	Mythology / Astronomy	Ancient Greek sources	In Greek myth, Orion was a giant huntsman (“the Hunter”) placed among the stars by Zeus or Artemis . The Orion constellation remains a prominent cultural symbol of the hunter in the night sky.

Films

• The Hunter (1931 short film).  A black‑and‑white cartoon directed by Walter Lantz. This Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short sees Oswald helping a stranded teddy bear by hunting a clever fox for its fur coat . It is a minor historical example of “The Hunter” in early animation.
• The Hunter (1980).  An American biographical action‑thriller directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Steve McQueen as real-life bounty hunter Ralph “Papa” Thorson . Thorson tracks down fugitives (played by LeVar Burton, Eli Wallach, etc.) in a series of chases. It was McQueen’s final film role (he died in 1980) . The film was a critical and box-office failure: reviews were largely negative (currently only 54% on Rotten Tomatoes) and critics like Leonard Maltin labeled it “probably [McQueen’s] worst” .
• The Hunter (2010).  An Iranian drama film (Shekarchi in Persian), directed by and starring Rafi Pitts .  The story follows Ali, a grief-stricken factory guard whose wife is killed and daughter kidnapped; he takes to the woods where he “hunts” police officers (even turning the tables on his pursuers).  The film was internationally noted (it competed for the Golden Bear at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival) . Reviews praised its tense, minimalist style and exploration of alienation (The Guardian called it “intriguing” even if “not entirely successful” on every level ).
• The Hunter (2011).  An Australian drama directed by Daniel Nettheim (screenplay by Alice Addison), based on the novel by Julia Leigh .  Willem Dafoe stars as Martin David, a hired mercenary sent by a biotech company (Red Leaf) to Tasmania to track and kill the last known thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) for its valuable DNA .  The film blends thriller suspense with stark nature scenery. It premiered in late 2011 and received generally positive reviews: on Rotten Tomatoes it holds about a 72% approval rating, with critics noting Dafoe’s performance and the film’s atmospheric mood .  (It earned several Australian Film Institute award nominations and won AACTA awards for music.) This film is notable for its environmental theme and being based on a contemporary Australian novel.

Television

• Cacciatore: The Hunter (Italian TV series, 2018–2021).  An Italian crime drama (RAI network) created by Marcello Izzo, Silvia Ebreul and Alfonso Sabella  .  Based on the magistrate Alfonso Sabella’s memoir Cacciatore di mafiosi, the series (titled Il cacciatore in Italian) depicts Sabella’s real-life fight against the Mafia in Palermo during the 1990s. It follows judge Saverio Barone (a stand-in for Sabella) and his colleagues as they build evidence against mobsters. Praised for its gritty authenticity, The Hunter became known as one of Italy’s most realistic mafia dramas. (It was also acquired by PBS in the US under the title The Hunter.)

Books

• The Hunter (Parker novel, 1962).  A crime thriller by Donald E. Westlake, written under the pen name Richard Stark . It introduces the antihero Parker, a professional robber. In this first Parker novel, Parker is shot and left for dead by a woman and her partners; he then methodically tracks down every man responsible. The terse, cold style became a model for hard-boiled crime fiction. The Hunter spawned the long-running Parker series and has been adapted into films: notably Point Blank (1967, starring Lee Marvin) and Payback (1999, starring Mel Gibson) , as well as a 2009 graphic novel adaptation by Darwyn Cooke. It is often cited as one of the classics of noir literature.
• The Hunter (Leigh novel, 1999).  The debut novel of Australian writer Julia Leigh, published in 1999. It tells the story of a mysterious woodsman who arrives in rural Tasmania to hunt the last thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) for a shadowy biotech firm.  Leigh’s prose is spare and haunting. Critics gave it largely positive reviews; it won several literary awards and was translated into many languages.  The novel’s atmospheric portrayal of obsession and the wilderness was later adapted into the 2011 film of the same name (with Willem Dafoe as the hunter) .
• The Hunter (French novel, 2024).  A modern crime novel by Irish author Tana French. It is the sequel to her 2020 novel The Searcher. Set in rural Ireland, The Hunter follows retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper as he investigates a new crime that ties into the local community’s secrets. Reviewers note that it is French’s ninth novel, continuing the moral complexity and richly observed character drama of her earlier work . Though a recent release, it quickly garnered praise for its tight plotting and dialogue (a Guardian review called French “one of the sharpest observers of dialogue in contemporary fiction” ).

Video Games

• theHunter (video game series, 2009–).  A series of realistic hunting simulation games. Developed by Expansive Worlds (a studio of Avalanche Studios), it began with theHunter: Classic (2009) and continued with titles like theHunter: Primal (2015, featuring dinosaurs) and theHunter: Call of the Wild (2017) . These first-person games place players in large open-world reserves and task them with tracking and hunting wild game (deer, bears, birds, etc.) using realistic equipment. The series is notable for its lifelike graphics and simulation of animal behavior. Call of the Wild in particular received positive attention for its immersive world; the franchise has attracted a dedicated hunting-game community. (As of 2025 the series is ongoing, with expansions and new reserves still being added.)

Music

• The Hunter (Blondie album, 1982).  The sixth studio album by American new wave band Blondie, released May 1982 .  With Debbie Harry’s vocals and a mix of rock, pop and reggae, the album’s theme loosely revolves around the concept of pursuit and lost love.  Notable tracks include the singles “Island of Lost Souls” and “War Child.” Though Blondie’s previous albums had major hits, The Hunter met with only moderate commercial success (it peaked lower on the charts) and received mixed reviews. Critics praised some songs but felt the album lacked the consistency of earlier Blondie records. It was the group’s last album of original material until their 1999 reunion.
• The Hunter (Jennifer Warnes album, 1992).  A studio album by American singer Jennifer Warnes. Released in 1992, it is her seventh album . The record blends adult contemporary and rock, and includes original songs and covers (e.g. Todd Rundgren’s “Pretending to Care,” The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon”). Warnes co-produced the album. Reviews were mixed; some critics appreciated her warm vocals and the polished production, while others found it uneven. The album did not produce any major hit singles. It is mainly of interest as part of Warnes’s catalog (she was already known for hits like “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” and her Leonard Cohen tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat).
• “The Hunter” (Albert King song, 1967).  A blues song first recorded by guitarist Albert King on his album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) . Co-written by Booker T. Jones and members of the Stax Records house band, it features King’s gritty vocals and guitar. The lyrics include the lines “They call me the Hunter, that’s my name,” portraying the singer as a relentless pursuer of a romantic interest. This track became one of Albert King’s signature tunes and has been widely covered (Ike & Tina Turner’s 1969 rendition charted in the US). Music historians note that it helped solidify King’s legacy; AllMusic describes it as a foundational song of his career .
• “The Hunter” (Dokken song, 1985).  A glam/heavy metal single by Dokken from their album Under Lock and Key. Released as the lead single in late 1985 , it exemplifies the band’s twin-guitar sound and catchy hooks. The song charted modestly, reaching #25 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart . Its lyrics use “hunter” metaphorically in a hard-rock context (“I’m a hunter who’ll never stop, I’m a devil that’s never gonna drop”), fitting the era’s metal themes. While not as famous today as some ballads of the period, the Dokken track is remembered by fans of 1980s metal and received regular rock radio play at the time.

Mythology and Culture

• Orion – “the Hunter” (Greek mythology / constellation).  In ancient Greek mythology, Orion was a legendary giant huntsman. Different versions say he was placed among the stars by Zeus or Artemis as the Orion constellation . The constellation itself is often simply referred to as “Orion the Hunter.”  As a cultural symbol, Orion represents the archetype of the hunter in Western tradition. His figure (belt of three stars, raised club and shield, sometimes accompanied by a dog) has appeared throughout literature and art for centuries. (For example, Renaissance and modern astronomy retain the name “Orion” for the constellation.) Orion’s enduring image is one of the most prominent uses of the “Hunter” motif outside of titles.

Sources: Authoritative databases and publications were used for each entry, including film and music encyclopedias and reviews. Specific details are cited with sources like Wikipedia, AllMusic, Guardian reviews, etc.: for example, the Albert King song details and album release information come from music reference entries , film information from film databases and critiques , and book details from literary sources . All information above is drawn from these cited sources. (Where precise citations are given, they refer to the relevant lines in the connected sources listed in the references.)