What kind of a name is Hunter Killer for a movie that doesn’t involve serial killers in some fashion? I’m sure that most of you are wondering the same thing. Well, as it turns out, “hunter-killer” in the naval world of things is a designation that is assigned to an attack vessel. In this case we’re dealing with submarines. There haven’t been too many memorable submarine movies to date. Probably the most famous one was the one that was born from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel, The Hunt for Red October (1990). Crimson Tide (1995) and U-571 (2000) are another couple that made splashes in theaters but the sub-genre (get it?) has recently gone pretty dormant in theatrical releases, especially in terms of quality. Can this Gerard Butler-led movie make waves in theaters?
When an American Navy submarine goes M.I.A., the American government wants answers. Commander Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) is tasked with shedding some light on this mystery. While deep within Russian-controlled waters, the USS Arkansas must navigate the treacherous area to find the truth. Instead however, they find themselves in a much more dire situation than they could ever imagine. The discoveries keep on coming as a coup is underway and battle lines will be drawn. With the American government and the Russian government posturing for war, a select few are the only hope to avoid the start of a major war between the two powerhouses. And how this will end will remain a mystery until the very end.
Watching trailers and commercials for Hunter Killer, I thought to myself, “Surely this be your typical CGI-heavy overly drawn out movie that should have gone straight to home video.” Going in with little to no expectations of having a positive experience, I left the theater feeling pleasantly surprised. Have no misgivings here, this isn’t some sleeper blockbuster, there’s a reason that it’s being released at the end October and not the end May or June. The overall body of work is mostly worthy of its two-hour runtime. Director Donovan Marsh does a decent job making a this a fun action thriller. Allowing the plot to live outside of a “strictly submarine setting” makes for a more engaging story. With portions taking place on land, this allows for different perspectives as well as avoiding a claustrophobic low budget feel.
While Gerard Butler is the film’s main star, other actors lend a decent hand throughout. Some of the actors that come to mind are Gary Oldman, Common, Linda Cardellini, Toby Stephens, Michael Trucco, David Gyasi and the late Michael Nyqvist. One of the areas of Hunter Killer that annoyed me in a silly way, was the movie’s inconsistencies of when the actors would speak Russian. I mean, in one scene there’s a conversation on whether or not a Russian character speaks English, and yet when other Russians are alone in their own environment, they’re just yapping away IN ENGLISH to each other but with accents. I’m the first one to denounce subtitles usually, but in this scenario it may have given a more authentic feel. Again, silly I know.
Even with these production shortcomings, Hunter Killer is pretty decent for what it is. You’ll care about some of the characters and their relationships. The action sequences are enjoyable. There are even a few tense moments, one of which caused me to let out an audible sigh of relief (and a small chuckle) once said moment passed! No one is winning any awards for this one but actors such as Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman didn’t sell themselves out by attaching themselves to a crappy movie just to gain a check. If you like a good thriller action mix, Hunter Killer might be an acceptable choice. You can see it in theaters right now.
