The film's source material is the manhunt for , a mysterious fugitive in Northern Canada.
: In 1931, Johnson allegedly interfered with local trappers' lines in the Northwest Territories. When the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrived to question him, he shot and wounded a constable through his cabin door. Death Hunt
: This was the first Canadian manhunt to utilize airplanes (a Bristol open-cockpit bi-plane) to track a fugitive from the air. The film's source material is the manhunt for
Directed by Peter Hunt, this action-thriller reimagines the manhunt as a tale of rugged individualism versus a corrupt community. : This was the first Canadian manhunt to
: Johnson was finally cornered and killed in a shootout on the Eagle River on February 17, 1932. His true identity remains a mystery to this day. 2. The 1981 Film: Death Hunt
: The pursuit lasted 48 days in sub-zero temperatures, covering over 150 miles across frozen terrain. Johnson famously scaled the Richardson Mountains—a feat considered impossible at the time.
