Name: Prey
Genre: Thriller
Released: 2021-09-10T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: David Kross, Hanno Koffler, Maria Ehrich, Robert Finster, Yung Ngo

The first gunshot cracks through the quiet forest, and suddenly, a hiking trip becomes a desperate scramble for survival in Prey (2021). Director Thomas Sieben’s thriller, streaming on Netflix, takes a familiar premise—a group of friends targeted by an unseen shooter—and wrings tension from it with some effective set pieces. The film’s strength lies in its ability to create a relentless atmosphere of dread, particularly in the early scenes where the five friends—Roman (David Kross), Albert (Hanno Koffler), Peter (Robert Finster), Vincent (Yung Ngo), and Stefan (Klaus Steinbacher)—realize they’re being hunted. The sound design is sharp, with each gunshot echoing through the woods, making the audience jump as much as the characters.

Sieben crafts a tight script that keeps the tension high, though it occasionally stumbles into predictability. The reveal of Eva (Maria Ehrich), the sharpshooter, as a grieving mother seeking revenge for her child’s accidental death is compelling, but her character lacks depth beyond her trauma. Ehrich delivers a committed performance, but the script doesn’t give her enough nuance to make her more than a one-note villain. The film’s emotional core—Eva’s grief and rage—could have been more impactful with deeper exploration.

The performances from the male leads are solid if unremarkable. Kross and Koffler, as brothers Roman and Albert, carry much of the emotional weight in the latter half of the film. Their dynamic, particularly after Albert’s betrayal is revealed, adds a layer of complexity to the survival narrative. Finster and Ngo are serviceable in their supporting roles, though their characters feel underdeveloped compared to the others.

Where Prey excels is in its pacing and cinematography. The film’s use of the forest as both a character and a claustrophobic trap is effective, with long shots of the trees and open spaces emphasizing the characters’ vulnerability. The action sequences are well-choreographed, particularly the final confrontation between Roman and Eva, which is tense and visually engaging.

However, the film’s ending feels rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. After building such a strong sense of danger and suspense, the conclusion—Eva’s suicide and Roman’s relief—lacks the emotional payoff it should have. The resolution of Albert’s betrayal and Roman’s confrontation with him is handled abruptly, leaving some narrative threads feeling loose.

Prey (2021) is a solid, if flawed, thriller that delivers on suspense but falters in character development and emotional depth.