the late and great and sorely miss tough guy supreme steve mcqueen give a typically cool and laconic and utterly engage performance a rugged and but weary modern day bounty hunter ralph papa thorson and who go after dangerous criminal who have skip bail and have trouble adjust to an ever change world he feel increasingly out of place in . direct in a rather plain and yet still effective manner by tv show veteran buzz kulik and this movie have a certain rough look and gritty atmosphere to it that grip and believable . the pace be a bit slow and but fitfully steady just the same . the action sequence be very lively and rivet and excite while two highlight be a stir chase between a wheat thresher and a trans be in a corn field and a wild lengthy set piece towards the end which start out a a foot chase and ultimately culminate into a car chase ( the whole sequence on a speeding subway train totally smoke ) . both michel legrand rouse score and fred koenekamp smooth photography be on the money fine . the topflight support cast constitutes a another substantial plus represent kathryn harrold a thorson loving and but long suffering pregnant school teacher girlfriend and eli wallach a a crusty bail bondsman and levar burton a a nice young guy who befriend thorson and ben johnson a an ornery sheriff and and the ever creepy tracey walter a a crazed and vengeful ex con with a personal grudge against thorson . mcqueen reliably strong and personable and charismatic screen presence really hold the picture together while mcqueen bring a likability and vulnerability to thorson that refresh and appeal in equal measure . unjustly revile by most critic during it theatrical release and the hunter overall size up a an extremely solid and satisfying little ripper that well worth check out by both steve mcqueen fan and action movie buff alike .