Trailer
Plot summary
Albert Johnson lives alone as a trapper in the mountains of the Yukon Territory in 1931. In town he comes upon an organized dog fight and forces two hundred dollars on the owner, Hazel, to take away a badly injured dog. He nurses the animal back to health. Hazel tells his friends the dog was stolen and leads them to Johnson's remote cabin to take it back. Sergeant Edgar Millen, who commands the local police post, is unwilling to act until Hazel publicly accuses Johnson of murder. Millen gathers a posse that includes the tracker Sundog Brown, a young constable, Alvin Adams, and Vanessa McBride. An old trapper, Bill Luce, warns Johnson that the law is coming, and Johnson turns his cabin into a stronghold.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Death Hunt (1981)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
Real-life bush pilot Wop May, who genuinely helped hunt for Johnson and lived unharmed until 1952, was fictionalized in the film as "Captain Tucker," a character who recklessly strafes the ground posse and is shot down and killed, none of which happened to the real pilot.- Gene Hackman was originally cast as Millen but dropped out shortly before filming over creative differences with Hunt. Drew Struzan revealed this on Facebook on March 1, 2025, days after Hackman's death was announced, showing off artwork he had drawn with Hackman in the role.
- Joan Collins was originally cast in the female lead but does not appear in the final film; Angie Dickinson took what was a relatively small role because she wanted to work with Bronson and Marvin and, as she put it, "I wanted to see Banff".
- The film was financed by Raymond Chow of Hong Kong's Golden Harvest as part of a six film slate worth $60 million he announced in July 1979, which also included The Cannonball Run, High Road to China and two films that were never made.
SPOILER
In the film numerous men are shot and killed by Johnson, but during the real manhunt Constable Millen was the only police officer Johnson killed.
