Hunting Season (Av Mevsimi)

Hunting Season (Av Mevsimi)

Movie · 2010 · 19 people

Crime, drama and mystery meet in the Turkish film Av Mevsimi (Hunting Season), released on December 3, 2010. Yavuz Turgul wrote and directed it, and Fida Film produced it. The film also played in six European countries and ranked among the highest-grossing Turkish films of 2010. Şener Şen, Cem Yılmaz and Çetin Tekindor share the leading roles.

The story revolves around three homicide detectives. Şener Şen plays Ferman, nicknamed "The Hunter", a small-scale legend of the force who has devoted his life to his ailing wife. Cem Yılmaz plays "Crazy" İdris, who is still passionately attached to his ex-wife Asiye (Melisa Sözen). Okan Yalabık plays Hasan, a quiet rookie with an anthropology degree. The death of a young girl brings the trio face to face with the drug dealer Asit (Rıza Kocaoğlu), Battal Çolakzade (Çetin Tekindor), one of the richest men in the country, and the girl's older brothers Abbas and Vakkas. The investigation changes the three policemen's lives for good.

Shooting started in April, lasted 51 days and wrapped in June. Uğur İçbak was the cinematographer, Tamer Çıray composed the music, and Jeffi Medina and Murat Akdilek produced; Warner Bros handled distribution.

DirectorYavuz Turgul
Production companyFida Film
Hunting Season (Av Mevsimi) Hunting Season (Av Mevsimi)

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Cast

Also in the cast: Jeffi Medina (Macit Akman)

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

In Av Mevsimi, Yavuz Turgul tries to turn a police procedural into a character study. The script uses an investigation sparked by a young girl's death as a doorway into the inner lives of three detectives: Ferman, devoted to his ailing wife; İdris, still attached to his ex-wife; and Hasan, the quiet anthropology graduate. The counterweight of Şener Şen and Çetin Tekindor gives the film its balance, and Uğur İçbak's cinematography supports its serious tone. But the 142-minute running time stretches the side plots further than needed; tighter editing would have sharpened the suspense. Even so, it is one of the more ambitious examples of the genre in mainstream Turkish cinema.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

A murder, a drug dealer and one of the richest businessmen in the country: Av Mevsimi's setup promises solid suspense, and three very different detectives make for a good team dynamic. But 142 minutes is long, and the film often cares more about its characters' troubles than about action. If you want a fast cop thriller you'll need patience; if you're after a slow-burning crime drama, it's right on target.

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Şener Şen, Çetin Tekindor and Yavuz Turgul's pen: for an eye raised on the classics, expectations rise the moment these names come together. In Ferman, a man who has given his life to his ailing wife, Şener Şen's gravity and tenderness feel just right. It is a police story, but its real concern is people: loyalty, loneliness and attachment to the past, with Tamer Çıray's music following that sorrow. Only, as a dark murder story it is not a warm film, and it runs rather long.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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