The film's source material is the manhunt for , a mysterious fugitive in Northern Canada.
: 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 Death Hunt
: 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. The film's source material is the manhunt for