The Hunter is a 1980 American biographical action thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik and starring Steve McQueen. The film was McQueen's final role before his death in November of that year at age 50. The cast also features Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton, Ben Johnson, and Richard Venture. This was the last theatrical film made by director Buzz Kulik. Plot Ralph "Papa" Thorson (Steve McQueen) arrives in a small town in Illinois where, despite being a terrible driver (a running joke used throughout the film), he captures fugitive Tommy Price (LeVar Burton) for fleeing on his bail. Thorson next drives to Houston to bring in a dangerous punk named Billie Joe, whose kinfolk include Sheriff Strong (Ben Johnson), a corrupt redneck lawman who warns Thorson not to get involved. Papa ignores him and ends up in a destructive fight with the enormous fugitive but succeeds in apprehending him. Thorson drives both Tommy Price and Billie Joe back to Los Angeles, where he collects his reward for bringing them back. However, Thorson vouches for Price, who soon begins fixing things at Thorson's house and becomes one of Thorson's many acquaintances who hang out there. At home, Thorson is an old-fashioned guy who has a love of antique toys and classical music. His schoolteacher girlfriend Dotty (Kathryn Harrold) is pregnant and would like "Papa" to be there for her when the baby is born, but his job continually keeps him on the road. Thorson works for elderly bail bondsman Ritchie Blumenthal (Eli Wallach) who sends him out on dangerous assignments to chase down fugitives in all parts of the US. However, Thorson himself is stalked by psychotic killer Rocco Mason (Tracey Walter), who was one of Thorson's former convicts. Thorson is sent to rural Nebraska to bring back two fugitives, the Branch Brothers. He flies out to Nebraska and heads to the Branch farmhouse, where the two psycho brothers steal his rental car and try to kill him with dynamite. Thorson commandeers a combine harvester and chases after the two Branch Brothers through a cornfield. A stick of dynamite they drop blows up the car, but they both survive. Thorson arrives back at the local airport with the destroyed car on a trailer and brings the Branch Brothers on a plane back to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Rocco Mason terrorizes Dotty at her workplace, which leads Thorson to try to protect