THE HUNTED — * 1/2 — Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Connie Nielsen, Leslie Stefanson, Jenna Boyd, Jose Zuniga, Ron Canada; rated R (violence, gore, profanity, brief drugs, vulgarity); see "Playing at local movie theaters" for complete listing of local theaters.

The only reason "The Hunted" is even remotely watchable is that it stars two Oscar-winning actors, Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro.

Wait. Perhaps that statement should be amended to say that it's only one of the two actors — Jones — who really pulls his weight in this appallingly gory suspense-thriller. Not that it's surprising, considering that for nearly a decade now, Jones has been trying to redeem bad material with solid performances. And Jones' role here is essentially the same that won him the Oscar for 1993's "The Fugitive" — U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard.

Here, the character is the unlikely named L.T. Bonham, an FBI tracker who's been pulled out of his state of semi-retirement. His bosses want him to find Aaron Hallam (Del Toro), a once-decorated Special Forces soldier who has already murdered and mutilated four men in the Oregon woods.

The case holds special significance for L.T., since he taught Hallam how to kill, which is ironic since L.T. has never actually killed anyone. Perhaps that explains why he makes a concerted effort to bring in his former student without any bloodshed.

Easier said than done. The body count is rising, and Abby Durrell (Connie Nielsen), special agent in charge of this investigation/search, seems to be taking some of Hallam's killings personally.

This is not one of veteran director William Friedkin's strongest works. In particular, he seems to relish making this mess as bloody as possible. He also plays the material surprisingly straight-faced, though the final third is so awful it practically begs to be laughed at.

As always, Jones is good, and his performance makes an underwritten character seem deeper than it probably should. Also, this is a physically demanding role for an actor in his late 50s, but Jones is up to that task as well.

Unfortunately, he gets no help from Del Toro, who is full of mannerisms and tics . . . and very little else.

"The Hunted" is rated R for strong scenes of violence (hand-to-hand combat, stabbings, gunplay and explosive mayhem), graphic gore, scattered use of strong, sex-related profanity, brief drug content (use of a tranquilizer) and use of a vulgar gesture. Running time: 94 minutes.

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com