The Hunt
A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent li...
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg · Drama · 115 min · 2012
Trailer
Director
Thomas Vinterberg
Writer
{{Plain list, Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg
Studio
Zentropa
Release
14 Nov 2012
Runtime
115 min
Genres
Drama
Full Plot
Lucas is a Kindergarten teacher who takes great care of his students. Unfortunately for him, young Klara has a run-away imagination and concocts a lie about her teacher. Before Lucas is even able to understand the consequences, he has become the outcast of the town. The hunt is on to prove his innocence before it's taken from him for good.
Cast & Characters
Lucas
Mads Mikkelsen
Theo, Lucas' best friend, Agnes' husband, and Klara's father
Thomas Bo Larsen
Klara, Theo and Agnes' daughter
Annika Wedderkopp
Marcus, Lucas' son
Lasse Fogelstrøm
Grethe, Lucas' boss
Susse Wold
Agnes, Theo's wife and Klara's mother
Anne Louise Hassing
Bruun, Lucas' friend, Marcus' godfather
Lars Ranthe
Nadja, Lucas' girlfriend
Alexandra Rapaport
Torsten, Theo and Agnes' son, Klara's older brother, and Marcus' friend
Sebastian Bull Sarning
Ole
Bjarne Henriksen
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $3.8M, The Hunt has grossed $18.3M worldwide — about 4.8x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
The film was produced by Zentropa for 20 million Danish kroner.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
8 million budget, the film was a financial success.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Critical Assessment
The Hunt holds 8.3/10 on IMDb (397,079 votes), 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of August 5, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.3/10 on IMDb (397,079 votes), 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Hunt's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Hunt holds a 92% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is The Hunt's IMDb rating?+
The Hunt has a 8.3/10 rating on IMDb from 397,079 votes.
What is The Hunt's Metacritic score?+
The Hunt has a Metascore of 77/100 on Metacritic.
Is The Hunt good? What are critics saying?+
The Hunt holds 8.3/10 on IMDb (397,079 votes), 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77/100 on Metacritic.
How long is The Hunt?+
The Hunt has a runtime of 115 min.
Who directed The Hunt?+
The Hunt was directed by Thomas Vinterberg.
Where can I watch The Hunt?+
The Hunt is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Arrow Video Amazon Channel, ARROW, BFI Player, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
Reviewers praised the movie for its well-scripted and well-performed story, with some calling it "fantastic" and "gut-wrenching". They also noted that it doesn't shy away from exploring complex themes such as small-town tensions and vigilantism. One reviewer, however, expressed uncertainty about the film's length and content.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Well scripted, well performed, well staged. A round movie with a fantastic Mads Mikkelsen. Honestly, I think this movie would have been even better with some more minutes on it to develop the plot even further. Fantastic directing.
Andres Gomez · 9/10Viewers beware: this is not an easy or light watch. Mads Mikkelsen absolutely kills it as a somewhat lonely single man, who suddenly finds love and welcomes his son to live with him. That's all I'll reveal in the review, no spoilers here. But again, this isn't a light film, nor s…
tmdb15435519 · 10/10Happy to file this one under 'Films I Evidently Didn't Get'. <b>[Edit: I can't lie, I'm absolutely waffling below. Apologies in advance and totally feel free to ignore, I just typed whatever came into my head because I'm simply so unsure about this. I've articulated myself awfull…
r96sk · 5/10"Don't accuse someone of thing with ignorance, you'll regret it later" - Quran
ARGMAN · 7/10Although this is set amidst a small rural community, it could just as easily transfer to any society where a small white lie can lead to a misunderstanding that brings out the vigilante in any of us. That’s the situation that primary school teacher “Lucas” (Mads Mikkelsen) finds…
CinemaSerf · 7/10
From the trailer's comments
I just watched this movie after putting it off for a long time and I have to say that it really was an incredible film. One of the most compelling and moving, yet depressing and emotionally draining movies I ever watched.
@HugoSoup57 · 16 likesA great film. I’d highly recommend watching it because it’s so gripping.
@nath_2107 · 3 likesJust saw this hell of a movie..i mean this has to be one of the greatest performance of all time
@arijitdas2961 · 7 likesYes yes YES! Great news! I was in fear of this not being released in the states. With Mads's popularity growing even more so, it's sort-of dumb not to get this!
@JoshuaParmer · 8 likesWhat a GUT WRENCHING movie!!! Forget your old school stuff. This movie is so intense and you can never relax. Is such a very difficult story but executed flawlessly. ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND IT on 2021 : ) (Jagten 2012) NOTE -- I had to stop a few times because the content of the mov…
@rayadouno7811 · 8 likesVery good! Just needed to see it!
@MartinRalchevski · 1 likeswhere can I watch it?
@robertfiala1540 · 0 likesAn absolute winner! Brilliant film.
@aidyreviewsnet · 4 likes