Mick LaSalle for "San Francisco Chronicle" deemed the film "absurd and overlong", saying it was not afforded a press screening "so as not to make the Friday papers", but thought that the humor and the tour de force style might save the film. William Grimes for "The New York Times" called it "a slightly better than adequate B thriller", adding that "within limits [...] the film delivers." He commented positively on the taiko drum soundtrack by Kodō. Paul Shirey, writing in retrospect for "JoBlo.com", saw "The Hunted" in a much better light, awarding the film a score of 100%. He said that casting Lambert as an unexpected hero was "refreshing", and praised the dynamic between Takeda and Kinjo. Shirey selected the battle in the bullet train as the most outstanding scene of the film. "Filmsondisc.com" gave the film a B+ rating, saying that plot holes can be ignored because of "consistent characters" and "concentrated and polished" production. The reviewer found Lambert "well-suited to his role", and deemed Lone "better than usual". Brian McKay for "eFilmCritic.com" gave the film 4 stars out of 5, calling the film "pretty entertaining" and praising the sword fights, but concluding that the film focuses too much on Lambert's character instead of Harada's, the latter sentiment echoed by "The Austin Chronicle". "The Hunted" features music by the Japanese taiko drum troupe Kodō. The soundtrack was recorded from July to November 1994, and a CD was released on May 9, 1995 by TriStar Music, consisting of songs composed by Motofumi Yamaguchi and Leonard Eto. The song "Matsuri (Irodori)" was recorded on the set in Kodō Village on Sado Island. The recording portrayed a performance attended by the characters Racine and Kirina. Adam Greenberg, writing for "Allmusic", gave the soundtrack 4.5 stars out of 5, extolling Lawton's decision to have Kodō handle the entire soundtrack. He was most impressed by "Kirina's Theme" and recommended the soundtrack to fans of Japanese music. Jack Donen of "Djembe Magazine" deemed the soundtrack "tailored to Western ears", owing to a greater use of syncopation and several synthesizer sequences.