Mickey Rourke Hunts Humans For Sport In Upcoming Action Thriller
Some prey fight back!
Hollywood can be a brutal place. The entertainment industry’s competition, money, and fickle nature create an environment that can eat you up and spit you out. Because of that, there are countless examples of actors who came to Tinsel Town with dreams of stardom, only to find nightmares of devastation. Such is the story of Mickey Rourke and his co-stars in a new movie titled Hunt Club.
The film, directed by Elizabeth Blake-Thomas (Maybe I’m Fine and Evie Rose), stars Mickey Rourke, Mena Suvari, and Casper Van Dien. Hunt Club follows Cassandra (Suvari) and other women, Lexi (Jessica Belkin) and Tessa (Maya Stojan), as they head to an island for a chance to win a purse full of cash in a hunting competition. Upon arriving at the island, they discover that they are the hunted, and the men pursuing them have been doing it for sport. Unfortunately for them, the trio of female prey is not ready to go down easy, and instead fight back at their predators. The film’s synopsis promises action, intrigue, horror, and survival—a cross between The Hunt, Fantasy Island, and Wrong Turn. But the film also offers something more: three actors who embody the idea of survival in their real lives as much as on screen.
In the 1980s, Mickey Rourke was the next big thing in Hollywood. Between films like Body Heat, 9 1/2 Weeks, and Angel Heart, he was primed to take over as the next heartthrob. As fate would have it, his reputation for being difficult to work with got the better of him. Alan Parker, director of Angel Heart, told People Magazine he was dangerous on set. Part of that was his unpredictability; the rest was his uncontrollable nature and his other passion, boxing. Working with an aggressive person who also happens to be a trained fighter feels impossible to control. Rourke took a second dive into fighting, where he sustained severe injuries. He spent more money than he made and struggled with mental breakdowns. His career saw a slight resurgence in the 00s with roles in The Wrestler, Sin City, Iron Man 2, and The Expendables. But that second wind died down quickly.
Mickey Rourke isn’t alone in his struggles to maintain a career following a big break or personal troubles. His two co-stars, Mena Suvari and Casper Van Dien, suffered similar career paths. Suvari had one of the biggest years a young actor can experience in 1999. She starred in not only the year’s biggest comedy with American Pie but also in the year’s Best Picture, American Beauty. She showed versatility and bankability, set to be America’s sweetheart. Instead, she revealed in a 2021 book, The Great Peace: A Memoir, that she lived a double life of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and more. Van Dien saw a similar promise in the 90s when he starred in the cult classic Starship Troopers and landed a role alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. Unfortunately for him, his rising star was also weighed down by personal scandal, and he virtually disappeared from the public eye.
With Hunt Club, all three actors are looking to rekindle a little spark in their once-promising careers. Mickey Rourke has proven to handle the pressure recently, with The Wrestler landing him an Oscar nod. While this film doesn’t scream Oscar probability, it gives him and his co-stars another opportunity at a career renaissance.
