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Gerard Butler caught my attention back when I was a young theater nerd going through her “ The Phantom of the Opera ” stage. Since then, Butler’s acting seems to have ossified. Gone are his more limber moments of intensely singing or screaming as he did in “ Phantom ” and “300.” Now, he acts stoically for almost every part in recent memory, most notably the “Fallen” series, where he saves government officials from showy acts of terrorism. Butler will furrow his brow to feign deep thinking, the sound of his voice will drop to show some newly found resolve for whatever he’s going to do next. Explosions and action happen around Butler, but he will not be fazed—or forced to emote.  

In essence, “Hunter Killer” shares some similarities to “ Olympus Has Fallen ” and “ London Has Fallen .” Butler also saves government officials and by extension, averts geopolitical chaos in this movie. Instead of facing off against terrorists as he does in the “Fallen” movies, the threat to Pax Americana is a Russian coup that topples that country’s president. This infighting could not come at a worst time for the Americans, who have a submarine unaccounted for in enemy territory. So the powers-to-be in the States send Captain Joe Glass (Butler) for a top-secret search mission.  

Between tense exchanges shared by Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Donnegan ( Gary Oldman ), the two senior officials are at odds with how to proceed with the operation. Glass’ ship may need to defend itself, which invariably would start another Cold War. But unless someone doesn’t rescue the deposed Russian president soon, the Cold War may already be underway by Russia’s rogue military leader.  

Tacked on to an already busy plot is the land component to the sea rescue of the Russian president. Almost midway through the movie, the audience is introduced to a group of ragtag Marines training up their newest member when they get the call for an impossible mission to spy on the enemy. They’re the ones who report back to D.C. about the coup, and in a last ditch effort to stave off an all-out war, Fisk asks them to step in and rescue the president and bring him to the sub Glass is commanding so they can all escape. Sound like a good plan? I didn’t think so.

Another anchor weighing down “Hunter Killer” are the occasional serious moments that veer into parody—like when senior officials hold top-secret conversations in the center of a busy government building, instead of a private office. It's also laughable how the movie portrays Glass the Merciful as a nonviolent man at heart, by showing how he spares the life of a deer when he sees it has a family. Glass also spends ample time reminding everyone around him that he’s just like his working-class crew and not one of those Annapolis guys from the Naval Academy—channeling the conservative attitude against people who went to college. It’s those kinds of forgettable scenes that are only memorable because they’re so odd.  

But there is no inner life for Butler’s character, no moment where he shows doubt or reflects on his choices, no shot of a family back home. Glass mentions some kind of an incident that marks his naval career, but then it’s never referred to again or shows how the experience changed him. Although he’s supposed to be the sympathetic one fighting to save lives on both sides, it’s the other members of his crew who shows emotions—fear, panic, uncertainty, joy, you name it—while Butler looks robotically on, almost as if he’s phoning his performance in until the paycheck clears. Even a Russian prisoner of war taken by the Americans shows more emotions in his eyes than Butler can muster with his body. 

Butler’s performance—or lack thereof—keeps “Hunter Killer” from breaking any ground in the field of war movies. It’s also an odd time to release a movie that embraces collaborating with the Russians and painting bad and good guys with such broad strokes. This puts “Hunter Killer” in murky geopolitical waters I don’t think it knows how to navigate. Neither the movie or Butler is nearly entertaining enough to distract us.

Monica Castillo

Monica Castillo is a critic, journalist, programmer, and curator based in New York City. She is the Senior Film Programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a contributor to  RogerEbert.com .

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Film credits.

Hunter Killer (2018)

Rated R for violence and some language.

121 minutes

Gary Oldman as CJCS Charles Donnegan

Gerard Butler as Capt. Joe Glass

Common as RA John Fisk

Ryan McPartlin as Matt Johnstone

Linda Cardellini as Jane Norquist

Michael Nyqvist as Captain Sergi Andropoyov

• Donovan Marsh

Writer (based on the novel "Firing Point" written by)

• George Wallace
• Arne Schmidt

Cinematographer

• Michael J. Duthie
• Trevor Morris

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Film Review: ‘Hunter Killer’

Gerard Butler plays an American submarine commander in a U.S.-vs.-Russia thriller that drowns in ponderously out-of-date Cold War clichés.

By Owen Gleiberman

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It’s no trick for even the most ham-fisted global action thriller to achieve a ripped-from-the-headlines “topicality.” Just throw in a terrorist from the right enemy nation, or an American president with the right haircut. So it’s a weird and musty Twilight Zone indeed that one enters to watch “ Hunter Killer ,” a grindingly ponderous and bombastic neo-Cold War submarine thriller — how ponderous is it? It stars Gerard Butler , and he’s the most lighthearted thing about it — that in every relevant detail seems three years, if not two decades, behind the times.

Consider its take on the U.S. president. The character, played by Caroline Goodall, is transparently modeled on Hillary Clinton. As a result, one watches her scenes utterly removed from the drama (I use the term loosely) and preoccupied, instead, with thoughts like, “Was this film really shot that long ago?” It was. Principal photography on “Hunter Killer” began in July 2016, and the producers clearly based their script on the presumption that a certain Democratic candidate would end up as “Madame President.” Arriving in the thick of the madness of the Trump era, however, the film, intentionally or not, seems to say, “Who cares if she didn’t win? Even reality won’t make us budge.”

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The movie’s version of the Russian leadership is, if anything, even more jarringly out-of-date. “Hunter Killer,” which is named for its lead submarine, is about an underwater face-off between the U.S. and Russia, but the plot hinges on an attempted coup. The Russian leader, President Zakarin (Alexander Dianchenko), is no autocratic Putin figure; he’s a decent diplomatic dude who seems to have graduated from the Gorbachev school of constructive engagement. He’s taken down in a military sabotage led by Durov (Mikhail Gorevoy), the runt-bully Minister of Defense, who comes off as sort of…Soviet. He’s like the joyless Communist version of a Bond villain from the mid-’60s.

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There’s a lot to be scared of in the world today, but “Hunter Killer” summons all the topical urgency of a night spent re-watching “The Hunt for Red October” on Netflix. It’s a Cold War nostalgia movie, like something based on a Tom Clancy novel that long ago passed its sell-by date. Mostly, though, “Hunter Killer” will make you nostalgic for the era when people who made movies like this one actually knew what they were doing. It takes an entire hour for the movie to get to the coup attempt, and by the time that happens you realize that everything that led up to it has been a meaningless and over-extended set-up. Which is why it’s so dull.

Instead of launching the kind of countdown-to-doom excitement that has marked submarine thrillers like “Crimson Tide,” “Das Boot,” or “U-571,” “Hunter Killer” shifts over to a generic team of Navy SEALS (your heart will sink with tedium each time the film cuts to them), who have to bust into the Russian military compound where Durov has taken over. It’s their job to extract the Russian president, which they ultimately do. It’s then up to Butler’s tight-jawed, hardcore, battle-creased Capt. Joe Glass, commanding the USS Omaha, to give him safe haven and to defeat the Russian villain by refusing to get sucked into his game of chicken.

The twist, to the extent the movie has one, is that Butler, for all his terse swagger, is playing a good liberal. He’s the biggest bruiser on the submarine, but he’s got to teach the other men, like the ship’s fanatical XO (Carter MacIntyre), to get their torpedo-happy impulses under control. If the movie has a message, it’s this: Tough guys stand down.

But “Hunter Killer,” with its combination of rote action and “responsible” out-of-time schlock geopolitics, just left me wishing that it was a Steven Seagal movie. Butler showed flashes of unruly life in his last picture, the heist drama “Den of Thieves,” but here he’s back to his old granite scowl; he’s like the face of P.J. O’Rourke carved into a wooden nickel. Gary Oldman , in a performance given before he won the Oscar, shows up and goes blowhard hysterical as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Common, who seems to be carving out a career playing the kind of conservative establishment honchos you’d never expect Common to play, exudes a likable authority as a rear admiral in the situation room. Michael Nyqvist, in one of his last roles, has a mournful grace as a fallen Russian submarine captain. “Hunter Killer” has good enough actors, but it never figures out what to do with them. They’re stuck in an underwater vacuum, a submarine movie that submerges anything of interest.

Reviewed at Bryant Park Screening Room, Oct. 17, 2018. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 121 MIN.

• Production: A Summit Premiere and Millennium Media release of an Original Film, Relativity Media, Millennium Media, G-Base production. Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Toby Jaffe, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Tucker Tooley, Mark Gill, John Thompson, Matt O’Toole, Les Weldon. Executive producers: Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Yariv Lerner, Douglas Urbanski, Lati Grobman, Christa Campbell, Arne L. Schmidt, Ryan Kavanaugh, Ken Halsband, Kevin King, Christine Otal.
• Crew: Director: Donovan Marsh. Screenplay: Arne L. Schmidt, Jamie Moss. Camera (color, widescreen): Tom Marais. Editor: Michael J. Duthie. Music: Trevor Morris.
• With: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Michael Nyqvist, Linda Cardellini, Zane Holtz, Caroline Goodall, Akexander Diachenko, Mikhail Gorevoy, Yuri Kolokolnikov.

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Review: ‘Hunter Killer’ Explores the Depths of Geopolitics

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By Ben Kenigsberg

• Oct. 25, 2018

In “Hunter Killer,” ordinary alliances are suddenly upended and the United States Navy must do whatever it can to protect the interests of the Russian president. No, it’s not a documentary; it’s a submarine movie.

Sent to find an American sub that appears to have sunk in Russian waters, Joe Glass (Gerard Butler), the captain of another American sub, quickly realizes that this was no ordinary sinking. A Russian vessel that plummeted alongside the missing American one was sabotaged, not torpedoed. Above ground, the Russian defense minister (Michael Gor) is staging a coup. He’s taken the Russian president (Alexander Diachenko) into custody and is intent on goading the United States into war.

So far, most of the principals are falling for it, but not Joe, who doesn’t follow those rules they teach at Annapolis and has been at sea his entire career. (He rattles off the number of elections and Super Bowls he’s missed.) Following a Hail Mary plan concocted back in the states (Linda Cardellini and Common are on his side, which means they get yelled at a lot by Gary Oldman), he sets out to rescue the Russian head of state.

The maneuvers through mines and sound sensors seem closer to a game of Battleship than “The Hunt for Red October,” but the director, Donovan Marsh, pulls off some solid suspense as the men make their moves and Joe, appealing to their common calling, wins the trust of the rescued captain of the Russian sub ( Michael Nyqvist , who died last year). However nutty its geopolitics, “Hunter Killer” does its job as popcorn thriller with brisk efficiency.

Rated R for salty seaman. Running time: 2 hours 1 minute.

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The Sub Thriller Hunter Killer Is a Satisfyingly Clichéd Throwback to Simpler Times

The new submarine thriller  Hunter Killer  is like a transmission from an alternate reality, one in which American and Russian presidents still act with some semblance of dignity, where high-level officials still regularly demonstrate professionalism, and where spittle-flecked, treasonous lunacy is still regarded as an aberration and not just, well, shrug, the way things are now. Of course, military movies like this have always trafficked in a kind of comforting fantasy: They present us with apocalyptic situations, but then reassure us that, no matter how close things come to the brink, someone, somewhere will eventually do the right thing at the last minute and save the world from calamity.

Well, inject that shit directly into my veins, man.  Hunter Killer  won’t win any awards for originality, but it may win a couple for the brazenness with which it stacks clichés upon clichés. Basically, it’s  Crimson Tide meets  Lone Survivor  meets  Under Siege  meets a Russian variation on  Olympus Has Fallen , with a bit of  Geostorm  thrown in. At least three of those movies are pretty good, so the overall math works in the film’s favor.

Hunter Killer  follows the USS Arkansas , a submarine captained by working-class Navy lifer Joe Glass (Gerard Butler), as it’s sent to investigate the sinking of another sub by Russians in the icy waters of the Barents Sea, and finds itself in the middle of an international crisis. The Russian president (Alexander Diachenko) has been overthrown by his defense minister during a visit to the naval base on Kola Bay, in the country’s far northwest, and the traitors want to lure the Americans into a confrontation.

In order to stop them, a group of Navy SEALs, who’ve already infiltrated Kola Bay to observe suspicious goings-on at the base, are ordered by Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) back at the Pentagon to save the Russian president from his captors by kidnapping him and stowing him aboard the Arkansas . But in order to get to the base, the Arkansas has to navigate the mine-strewn waters of the Murmansk Fjord. To do so, it must rely on … Russian submarine captain Andropov (the late Michael Nyqvist), whom it has saved from the wreckage of another sunken vessel and is holding as a prisoner of war.

Needless to say, this creates turmoil among the already-tense crew of the American submarine, most of whom are convinced these Russians killed their fellow sailors on the other sub. Meanwhile, back in Washington, D.C., Fisk is getting yelled at by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Gary Oldman, because why not), who thinks his kidnapping plan is insane. Which, to be fair, it is. But everybody seems to understand that they have to work together so we don’t all die.

Oh, and the president of the United States is a wise blonde lady, because this film was shot in the summer of 2016. She doesn’t get much to do, because in movies like this the commander-in-chief is mostly there to look stoic and thoughtful for a few seconds. Back in the day, such pro forma scenes often felt vaguely propagandistic; I remember groaning a little when stock footage of Bill Clinton showed up at the end of  Crimson Tide . Now, it’s nice to spend a couple of hours in a fictional world where we don’t have to worry about the American president doing something ruinously idiotic and evil. It plays like a nostalgic fairy tale.

And it’s a fairly exciting one, despite being largely predictable and occasionally ridiculous. Most submarine pictures tend to confine themselves to the world of the sub itself — the better to exploit the tense, high-pressure environment — but  Hunter Killer  adds urgency by cutting back and forth between its different settings. Each plot point is seen from multiple angles: The bigwigs at the Pentagon watch through the SEAL Team’s surveillance cameras; the submarines and ships use periscopes and radars and radio transmissions; the bad guys who’ve taken over the Russian base look out through their windows. As a result, we can see the misunderstandings and provocations (both intended and unintended) pile up, like a slow-motion train wreck. It’s a clever way to provide dramatic and geopolitical context while remaining focused on the action. So what if this movie and  Johnny English Strikes Again  basically share the same ending?

Butler has become a bit of a joke in recent years, as he’s tried to claim a cut-rate version of Harrison Ford’s old mantle as the grizzled, reliable Establishment hero called on to be tough and humble in moments of crisis. He’s well-suited for his part here, however, as all it really requires of him is that he stand and act authoritative. This is the fundamental irony of the submarine movie, which remains one of the more dependable of macho action subgenres: Most of the drama is built around people standing around and talking, usually about chains of command and tactics and strategy. Mainly because the setting itself — a crowded metal tube floating thousands of feet under the sea — is already an inherently tense one. The formula is hard to screw up, and while  Hunter Killer  may add a few variations, even a couple of silly ones, it knows not to mess too much with what works.

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Hunter Killer Reviews

With its blend of geopolitical intrigue and action, “Hunter Killer” is sure to satisfy genre fans.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 1, 2024

a beefy Tom Clancy-type thriller that takes no prisoners

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 1, 2022

Military stories in particular have long gotten away with total homogeneity, but the U.S. military is much more diverse than Hunter Killer suggests.

Full Review | Original Score: F | Jul 29, 2021

[Gerard Butler's] in uniform again on screen and he does a wonderful job.

Full Review | Jun 16, 2021

A waterlogged thriller; a sopping wet excuse for Butler to grunt his way through another film that is beneath his talent.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Mar 1, 2021

It may be pure fantasy, but it's smartly paced, unexpectedly complex, action-packed, and thoroughly satisfying.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 7, 2020

Hunter Killer is a dumb movie, but it's a fun dumb movie.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jul 9, 2020

There are surprises and thrills alongside truly moronic bits of music. Overall, the silliness works against the movie and whatever its ultimate point might be, even if its only goal is to entertain.

Full Review | Jul 1, 2020

Don't think for a second that I don't recognize Hunter Killer for the nearly uninterrupted series of clichés that it is. Yet ... it can be quite engaging.

Full Review | Jun 30, 2020

I am a simple man with simple tastes. Even so, Hunter Killer... is a bit too simple for me.

Full Review | Mar 18, 2020

More invested in setting up nonsensical action sequences and genre-specific pro-America Oohrah than constructing a story that makes a lick of sense.

Full Review | May 2, 2019

The film is too solemn to be a fun diversion without prejudice. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 4, 2019

A middling sea thriller giving off big explosions and no controversy despite the Russians and Americans involved in an incident at sea.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Feb 14, 2019

Hunter Killer just seems like a futile attempt at pitching action in a brand new playground, underwater.

Full Review | Feb 13, 2019

A cheesy, laughably simplistic and oftentimes ludicrous work that now feels like a musty relic from an era that has no great degree of nostalgia attached to it.

Full Review | Feb 7, 2019

The straightforward, solid storytelling makes this mainstream military submarine thriller one that's worth watching.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 22, 2018

If the new motion picture Hunter Killer were real life, it would merit four stars. Unfortunately, the film isn't a striking example of cinema verite but rather a complete piece of fiction. As such, it's a rampaging mediocrity.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 21, 2018

Hunter Killer is long and dull, overstuffed despite having a woefully thin narrative. It should have been entertaining trash ... but instead, it's just a waste of your time.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Dec 6, 2018

Far from being earth-shattering but competent enough to be worth a glance on a weekend matinee.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 17, 2018

It may closely follow the East-West Underwater Playbook but it's also exciting and fun (until the last quarter when everything falls apart). I was so involved I even used the buttons to tip my cinema seat back as Capt Glass took his submarine underwater.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 9, 2018

Hunter Killer Review

This gerard butler vehicle could have lightened up..

Despite the good stuff, though, Hunter Killer doesn’t ever really justify its existence. Conceived in 2011, viewing it through any other lens than today’s political climate is impossible. Is it a gung-ho patriotic action movie in the vein of that other Butler vehicle, Olympus has Fallen? Is it a morality tale? Or does it simply reflect the quip spouted by Beamon: “I don’t know sh*t about politics?” Without that sense of fun, it falls through the gaps of all of these.

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Hunter killer, common sense media reviewers.

Violence, language in passable military/submarine thriller.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

It's important to put differences aside, trust one

Soldier characters are generally well-represented,

Extremely strong battle violence with lots and lot

Fairly strong language, with uses of "f---ing," "p

Background smoking.

Parents need to know that Hunter Killer is a thriller involving submarines, Navy SEALs, and Russians; it's based on a 2012 novel by George Wallace and Don Keith. The biggest issue is violence: You can expect lots and lots of battle action, with guns and shooting, high-powered missiles and torpedoes, bloody…

Positive Messages

It's important to put differences aside, trust one another, work together toward common goal. Honor, teamwork, loyalty are generally celebrated, rewarded.

Positive Role Models

Soldier characters are generally well-represented, respectful. Even the supposedly rebellious lead character, Joe Glass, seems to make the right decisions based on what he thinks is right. Only one notable female character.

Violence & Scariness

Extremely strong battle violence with lots and lots of guns and shooting, high-powered missiles and torpedoes, explosions. Many dead bodies are shown. Bloody wounds and injuries. Lots of arguing. Bow and arrow shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Fairly strong language, with uses of "f---ing," "p---y," "a--hole," "son of a bitch," "ass," "hell," "damn," and "goddamn."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Hunter Killer is a thriller involving submarines, Navy SEALs, and Russians; it's based on a 2012 novel by George Wallace and Don Keith. The biggest issue is violence: You can expect lots and lots of battle action, with guns and shooting, high-powered missiles and torpedoes, bloody wounds and injuries, and dead bodies. Language is also strong, with many uses of "f--k," "s--t," "son of a bitch," "p---y," and more, and there's some background smoking. On the other hand, sex and consumerism aren't issues. The movie starts stiffly and seems like it's going to be another not-too-good Gerard Butler movie, but it eventually begins to work in a passably entertaining way, and it's clear that teamwork is important to the characters and their story. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 7 parent reviews

Solid Thriller With Good Themes

One of the best modern war thrillers available, what's the story.

In HUNTER KILLER, an American submarine is torpedoed near Russia, and unorthodox, street-smart Captain Joe Glass ( Gerard Butler ) is called in to investigate. He discovers that a nearby Russian sub has been sabotaged, and he chooses to rescue its captain ( Michael Nyqvist ) from the ocean floor. Meanwhile, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs uncovers a coup within the Russian government: A rogue general has locked up the president (Alexander Diachenko) and taken over. The SEALs successfully snatch the president, while Glass must trust the Russian captain to help navigate the treacherous waters to get to the rendezvous point. But can the Americans and the loyal Russians trust each other long enough to prevent the bad guys from starting another world war?

Is It Any Good?

This military thriller starts stiffly, and not everyone seems fully committed, but as the pieces come together, it becomes a passably tense entertainment for fans of huge explosions. Based on a novel by George Wallace and Don Keith and directed by Donovan Marsh, Hunter Killer kicks off with thick, clunky military dialogue and many cookie-cutter scenes, especially the ones that establish Butler as a rebellious outsider (he never went to Annapolis, he's first seen hunting with a bow and arrow, etc.). Actors like Common and Gary Oldman appear uncomfortable at best, and it looks for a while as if Butler forced everyone at gunpoint to help make this movie.

But, surprisingly, Hunter Killer eventually turns into a multi-character piece, with many moving parts; Butler is, happily, not the center of everything. The story allows Marsh to logically cut back and forth to several locations, and the breaks effectively boost the storytelling style; it builds suspense. Best of all, the movie becomes less focused on specific military-type relationships and concentrates instead on simpler, more universal bonds of loyalty and teamwork. Characters seem to behave in the best interests of their comrades, rather than at the service of the plot. The wonderful Linda Cardellini has virtually the only female role, looking tense inside a situation room, and she seems to relish the opportunity. Yet Hunter Killer is also overrun with gunfire and explosions. It's hardly a classic, but it should satisfy a reasonable number of sub thriller fans.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Hunter Killer 's violence . How intense is it? Do you think it's intended to be shocking? Scary? Thrilling? How can you tell? How does the movie achieve this effect?

How is teamwork shown in the movie? What's the difference between teamwork and loyalty?

What's the appeal of submarine movies? How does this one compare to others you've seen?

Do you think movies about the military should always show soldiers and servicepeople in a positive light? Why or why not?

Movie Details

• In theaters : October 26, 2018
• On DVD or streaming : January 29, 2019
• Cast : Gerard Butler , Gary Oldman , Linda Cardellini , Common
• Director : Donovan Marsh
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Summit Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Character Strengths : Teamwork
• Run time : 121 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence and some language
• Last updated : March 28, 2023

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Hunter Killer Review

02 Nov 2018

Hunter Killer

What’s long, hard, and full of seamen? Gerry Butler ’s new film, in which the Scottish tough nut takes a break from rescuing the American President in the [INSERT WORD SEEMINGLY CHOSEN AT RANDOM HERE] Has Fallen movies to rescue the Russian president instead. Now that’s versatility. He does so by getting in deep as the commander of an American submarine tasked with rescuing the kidnapped Russian prez (here a moderate, and not at all Putin-esque), and averting World War III.

Coming on like an unofficial Tom Clancy adaptation, Donovan Marsh’s thriller flits between the action on the surface (where a seriously rugged Toby Stephens impresses as a Special Forces badass), a command bunker (where special guest star Gary Oldman shouts at people for about five minutes but still manages second billing and his face on the poster) and the eponymous Hunter Killer sub. There, those expecting Butler to embark on another punch-and-shootathon might be pleasantly surprised, especially as his character, Joe Glass, has an off-the-shelf action hero name. Here, he doesn’t even attempt to punch water, instead leaving the physical stuff to Stephens and his squad, and dialling it down, preferring to hit stoic and dependable notes, rather than reprise his tub-thumper from 300 . There’s also pleasure to be had from an unexpected relationship with a Russian submarine commander, played sympathetically by Michael Nyqvist in his last role.

As things escalate, no submarine movie cliché is left unturned, and it can’t help but suffer in comparison to Crimson Tide , but this is surprisingly solid and occasionally even suspenseful stuff. And a lovely reminder, too, of the simple joys to be had from watching actors pretending to be in a tin can, watching a computer screen, and waiting for the optimum moment to shout, “Dive! Dive! Dive!”

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What 'Hunter Killer' Gets Right About Submarine Warfare

This submarine warfare film might be fiction, but its underlying action feels all too real.

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Four Navy SEALs covertly entering Russia, rescuing its Vladimir Putin-like president from a well-orchestrated coup, and then escaping in a submerged submarine definitely sounds like fiction. And while the sweeping brushstrokes of Hunter Killer , which hit theaters October 26, are indeed a fantasy, its depiction of submarine warfare is startlingly realistic.

From the accurate sets, to illustrating the chain of command, to conveying the very physics of submarine warfare, Hunter Killer checks all the boxes—and this is how they did it.

Employing Real-World Warriors

Wallace’s experiences in the control room of real nuclear submarines directly informed the ways the story clings to reality, though, as Wallace will readily admit, not all of his real experiences translate well into film.

Hunter Killer depicts an alternate reality in which a Vladimir Putin stand-in falls victim to a well-organized coup attempt. As the situation rapidly unfolds, it falls upon the crew of a single U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarine, helmed by Gerard Butler’s Joe Glass and four Navy SEALs, to save the Russian president and avert a global war.

The circumstances may be fictional, but Hunter Killer leans heavily on the reality of warfare, both deep beneath the sea and at the business end of a Navy SEAL’s FN Scar assault rifle.

Getting Inside the Submarine

Although the movie’s poster prominently features names like Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman, the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine, where much of the film takes place, is a character all its own. The U.S. Navy currently employs 28 of these submersible vessels for operations ranging from intelligence gathering to shoreside force projection by way of its complement of Tomahawk cruise missiles. But the Virginia-class submarine's claim to fame is its ability to hunt and destroy enemy vessels, both on the surface and skulking beneath the waves.

Butler and the film’s director, Donovan Marsh, spent three days at sea aboard one of the Navy’s Los Angeles–class attack subs before filming just to gain a better appreciation for what life is like operating hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.

.css-1i6271r{margin:0rem;font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.2;font-family:UnitedSans,UnitedSans-roboto,UnitedSans-local,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;padding:0.9rem 1rem 1rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1i6271r{font-size:1.75rem;line-height:1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-1i6271r{font-size:1.875rem;line-height:1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1i6271r{font-size:2.25rem;line-height:1;}}.css-1i6271r em,.css-1i6271r i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;}.css-1i6271r b,.css-1i6271r strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;} "I asked them to do all the maneuvers from the film, as though they were being chased by a torpedo..."

In fact, it was Marsh’s time aboard the USS Houston that led him to make a dramatic (and expensive) decision regarding the film’s production: He built an entire submarine set atop a massive gimbal that would allow actors to move around in much the same way a real submarine's crew would while maneuvering in a combat environment.

“I asked them to do all the maneuvers from the film, as though they were being chased by a torpedo or had to make sudden evasive maneuvers,” Marsh told Popular Mechanics. “They did this thing where they angled the submarine down to 30 degrees, and literally, everyone had to lean back and hold on or they’d fall over. It was very dramatic, and I thought, ‘Man, I’d really like to do this for real.’”

Armed with blueprints provided by the U.S. Navy, Marsh and his team set about building replicas of the interior quarters of a Virginia-class submarine that they proceeded to mount on a massive, hydraulically powered platform they then programmed to approximate the way a real sub would shift and turn. The result is a sort of nuanced realism on the big screen you have trouble putting your finger on. The crew aboard the USS Arkansas (Butler’s sub in the movie) aren’t leaning and shaking like Captain Kirk on Star Trek —they’re really holding on.

A Dash of Movie Magic

But not everything depicted aboard the USS Arkansas is true to life. Sometimes, elements had to be changed for the sake of operational security, but other changes helped tell a more compelling story.

“The biggest differences between what they showed on the big screen and reality were the distances involved, where you saw everything in terms of a few hundred feet maybe, and where you’re seeing everything in very fast ‘real time,’” former sub commander and the book’s co-author George Wallace explained. “We deal in, in some cases, hours, but certainly multi-digit minutes.”

The speed and distances shown on screen, according to the film’s director, were all for the sake of clean, coherent storytelling. But there’s one thing both author and director agreed on that the movie really did get right—terror. The sense of foreboding of hunting, or being hunted, in a metal can deep beneath the ocean’s surface.

As Wallace put it, the old axiom “alone and unafraid” isn’t appropriate for submarine commanders. You may be alone, but fear is a part of the job.

Yes, Navy SEALs Are That Badass

While much of Hunter Killer takes place aboard the USS Arkansas , the film also focuses heavily on U.S. military personnel operating in the Pentagon and on a four-man team of Navy SEALs sent into Russia to conduct reconnaissance.

The SEALs enter into Russia on foot, after conducting what’s commonly referred to as a HALO drop (High Altitude Low Opening) near the border. HALO operations are intended to limit the visibility of the operator by jumping at altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet (more than twice a normal skydiving altitude) and waiting until the last possible moment to open the parachute. It’s a technique employed almost exclusively by the special-operations community, with its invention widely attributed to the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s.

While the film's execution of tactics and the loadouts conveyed a sense of accuracy, would the U.S. really insert a four-man SEAL team into Russian territory?

“The likelihood that we would use them to insert a four-man team into Russia for anything really depends on the political leadership,” Jeff Butler, former Navy SEAL and CIA officer, told Popular Mechanics. “That would be a decision made by policymakers, but it’s certainly possible, if not currently plausible, in the case of Russia.”

Once the SEALs are on the ground, they quickly find themselves tasked with the seemingly impossible. They need to infiltrate a secure Russian military facility, extract the Russian president, and make their escape via the inbound USS Arkansas .

It’s not at all uncommon for Navy SEALs to conduct operations that involve America’s fleet of nuclear submarines. Many subs, like the Virginia-class USS John Warner , have what are called “lockout trunks” that can be flooded with water and opened to allow SEALs to exit the submarine without it surfacing.

The USS Jimmy Carter , a Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine, was modified to add an additional 100-foot-long, 2,500-ton section referred to as the Multi-Mission platform that is used specifically to deploy unmanned underwater drones, SEAL submersible vehicles, or even dozens of Navy SEALs themselves.

"SEALs operating in and under the water is what separates us from other SOF units, especially our SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SVD) Teams that work clandestinely from submarines routinely.” Former Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling author Brandon Webb told Popular Mechanics. “This type of exfil would be a tap-in for the SVD guys.”

A Closer Look at Russia

Hunter Killer 's depiction of a highly capable and efficient Russian Navy is, perhaps, its greatest departure from the reality of today’s world.

Russia’s struggling economy has forced the nation to pick and choose its military investments. While the Kremlin places a large emphasis on its submarine fleet, acquisition and maintenance funding for its surface fleet has been stifled in recent years by the nation’s financial woes.

Some technology depicted on screen, including Russian missile defense systems, performed as they’re claimed to by Russian military officials, though the jury is still out as to whether they truly are as capable as what's been reported.

Nonetheless, Hunter Killer works through its narrative to frame the story in a way that leans away from America’s naval strengths and into Russia’s longstanding defensive posture. The Russian Navy may not actually be a formidable threat to America’s massive seaward fleet, but it could certainly be to a single submarine.

An Army of One

But the larger truth behind Hunter Killer 's narrative is that huge, potentially world-altering decisions can often be thrust into the hands of a single individual, like Butler's Joe Glass.

And also like the very real Stanislav Petrov, a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Air Defense Force who chose to ignore warnings about incoming American ICBMs and disobeyed a direct order to launch retaliatory nuclear strikes in 1983. Petrov believed the incident to be a false alarm, and stood by his call. That decision, which could have potentially cost the lives of everyone he knew, ultimately averted a global nuclear war that could have killed millions. Thus far, we’ve been lucky enough to have men like Stanislav Petrov manning their posts, placing the greater good above all else.

Warfare, whether real or fictional, is really about the individuals who wage it, and ultimately, that's what Hunter Killer gets right.

Alex Hollings is the editor of the Sandboxx blog and a former U.S. Marine that writes about defense policy and technology. He lives with his wife and daughter in Georgia. 

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Hunter Killer (2018) Review

A ENTERTAINING AND LARGER-THAN-

Life submarine thriller.

Military action movies have been a prime staple within the action film genre. Exploring various branches of the military (army, navy, air force, SEALS, etc.), these movies are primarily focused (much like the genre itself) on action premise, relying on tried and true aesthetics of military action / violence to showcase the film’s narrative. While some are a bit nonsensical (i.e. going with the flow of the film’s premise), stories of war, secret missions, occupation, and tension between nations are these movies “bread and buttered”, making the effort to show the grizzled action (on all forms of the military branches) as well the espionage side of opposing government / nations on matters of military strength (i.e. to defend, to invade, or to hold their ground) against warring enemies or rival team members. Additionally, military action features have also weaved into other genres (drama and sci-fi) in order to expand upon its storytelling. Some of the best and recognizable military action movies includes 1978’s Apocalypse Now , 1986’s Top Gun , 1987’s Full Metal Jacket , 1995’s Crimson Tide , 1998’s Saving Private Ryan , 2002’s Black Hawk Down , 2002’s The Sum of All Fears , 2017’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi , and 2018’s 12 Strong . Now, Summit Entertainment (along with Original Film and Millennium Entertainment) and director Donovan Marsh present the latest military action thriller endeavor with the film Hunter Killer . Does the movie swim gracefully or does it sink laboriously fast?

On a patrolling mission near Russian waters, the USS Tampa Bay (a “Hunter-Killer” submarine) is lured into a trap after it picks up on a strange situation involving an explosion on an enemy sub. Sent to investigate the destruction of the Tampa Bay is Commander Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) is sent to command the hunter killer submarine USS Arkansas, venturing into dangerous waters to determine what happened and who to hold responsible, while taking some questionable decision that puts his crew at risk. At the Pentagon, Admiral Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman) is trying to see through the chaos, concerned that the action in the ocean is taking America closer to World War III. Monitoring the situation are Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) and NSA analyst Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardellini), who put their faith in the what the crew Arkansas finds as well as in a small Navy SEAL team, led by Lieutenant Bill Beaman (Toby Stephens), who are ordered to slip into Russian territory and figure out what’s happening to President Zarkarin (Alexander DIachenko), who’s at the mercy of rogue agents looking to stage a coup d’état, spearheaded by Russian Defense Minister Dmitri Durov (Mikhail Gorevoy).

THE GOOD / THE BAD

Growing up in the 90s, I remember seeing plenty (and I do mean plenty) of action movies, with most being released during the mid to late 90s. Perhaps one of the earliest ones that I could remember watching were Top Gun and Under Siege . While the latter was lesser known than the former, both movies were sort of might introduction to dramatized military movies, especially those within the action genre. From there, I saw loads of action movies (ranging from great to mediocre ones) that encompass several different military branches as well as genres, including the more sci-fi ones ( Stargate and Starship Troopers ), the espionage ones ( The Sum of All Fears and Jason Bourne ), the more historical war ones ( War Horse or Saving Private Ryan ) and more modern-day war themed movies ( Act of Valor and 13 Hours: The Secret Solders of Benghazi ) and many others. Altogether, while some may be better than others (in both movie critics and moviegoers’ eyes), military action are fundamentally essential within the action genre and warranted from Hollywood continuous cycle of chronicling militaristic action heroics (and tragedies) onto the silver screen.

This brings me back to talking about Hunter Killer , the latest endeavor from Hollywood that delves into the military action for theatrical entertainment. For those who don’t know, Hunter Killer is based off the 2012 fiction novel titled “Firing Point” by Greg Wallace and Don Keith. Working at a bookstore, I do remember seeing (and shelving) that book from time to time, but I never picked it up and the read the novel. Thus, my review for Hunter Killer is gonna be strictly based solely on the film and not so much on what was added, removed, or changed from page to screen. Anyways, I really didn’t hear much “internet buzz” about this movie, but I have seeing the film’s various movie trailers quite frequently when I go to my local movie theater. Basically, they played the film’s trailer almost every time I went to go see a PG-13 movie. While I did forget to post the trailer on my blog (sorry…my bad), I have to say that I was slightly excited to see this movie. Like I said, I do like action movies (especially some military based ones) and the movie’s premise / plot looked right up my alley for movie escapism. Plus, I did like the movie’s cast (i.e. Butler, Oldman, Common, etc.). So, I went to see the movie, hoping that Hunter Killer would appease my “action appetite”. Did it? Well, sort of yeah. While there are some problems that movie can’t shake, Hunter Killer succeeds in being a fun (if maybe mindless) popcorn-ish military action motion picture. It may not beat out the classic 1990 film The Hunt for the Red October , but the movie does have some guilty pleasure 90s action vibes that help elevate the feature.

Hunter Killer is directed Donovan Marsh, whose previous directorial works include the TV movie The Good Fight as well as the feature films Spud and Avenged . While most of his prior works are considered “smaller” endeavors, Marsh makes Hunter Killer his most ambitious (and largest) directorial projects to date, including a expansive story and several big named actors attached to film. To his credit, Marsh does manage to create an effective and cohesively feature film, making Hunter Killer work for the most of its sum parts. While the movie might not be the most creatively / original piece, Marsh seems to make the film relish in its storytelling, producing a feature film that, while cliched at times, gets more right than wrong and succeeds in being a militaristic action thriller.

Given the nature of the movie’s story, Marsh has three distinct narrative threads to follow and weaves them together to create an interconnected plot that goes from under the seas, behind enemy lines, and into war room of the CIA. To that effective, Marsh succeeds, making Hunter Killer’s framework picturing a classic 90s action film that interconnects story threads into an entertaining piece of engaging cinematic action heroics and large-than-life heroism. Thus, Marsh also seems to know that the movie isn’t exactly true to form realism (something akin to Crimson Tide or The Hunt for Red October ), but he also doesn’t make the movie hokey or stupid like cheesy B-rated throwback movie. To be honest, he finds a sort of “happy medium” in-between those two extremes points, finding Hunter Killer stands on its own merits (and ground) for a mostly engaging and thrilling action flick. Speaking of which, the film’s action sequences are pretty good and give us different perspective on both land and under the sea in terms of battle engagements and tension-based moments. The film’s screenplay, which was adapted from Wallace and Keith’s novel by Arne Schmidt and Jamie Moss, keeps the movie streamlined, focusing on the three primary narrative threads and succeeds in bringing it altogether for a cinematic showdown. Again, while I can’t speak for Wallace and Keith’s Firing Point novel, the film story is mostly familiar from past military action movies, but plays them while quite well, despite the movie fumble through some areas (more on that below).

As technical presentation, Hunter Killer is a solid endeavor, projecting the right amount realism detail of bringing this military action adventure to life. With the film taking inspiration from real-life submarines (the crew did their research on how close-quarters / interworking on a US submarine work and function), the movie’s production designs by Jon Henson and James H. Spencer are quite brilliant, making the interior sequences (personal quarters, commanding deck, mess hall, missile cargo holding room, etc.) look authentically real and great (and proximity the set decorations by Orlin Grozdanov and Robert Wischhusen-Hayes as well). In addition, the film’s cinematography by Tom Marais and film editing by Michael J. Duthie are also quite good, making their respective parts on Hunter Killer work quite well, especially when crafting (and sharpening) the movie’s theatrical cinematics. Additionally, the film scored done by Trevor Morris is rather good, adding that extra cinematic quality (musically speaking) to Hunter Killer’s proceedings; adding dramatic tension melodies and suspenseful buildup throughout.

There are several problems that Hunt Killer can’t overcome, making the film’s shortcomings falter under its military action premise. The most notable one that many will find with this movie is that its familiar narrative tropes. Given the nature of the film’s premise, its easy to find the Hunter Killer’s story a bit commonplace with plenty of overused plot points: the tension between US and Russia, a militaristic coup d’état, Navy SEALS going undercover, war room frenzies, the lone “soldier” scenario, and plenty of near / last-minute misses. Basically, if you ever seen several action movies during the 90s or even played a single Call of Duty video game (most notable after Modern Warfare), then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Despite the movie being engaging in its narrative, the narrative plot itself (mostly certain aspects of the story) aren’t exactly creatively original. Thus, the overall formula of the narrative (story-wise) is a bit predictable and doesn’t really “draw” outside the lines that are laid down by Marsh (and the screenplay by Schmidt and Moss). In the end, it didn’t bother me as much, but I think the actually story narrative, despite working within the parameters of Wallace and Keith’s novel, could’ve been a bit more creative in a cinematic way (a few more unexpected twists and turns rather than a straightforward one).

Speaking of the screenplay done Schmidt and Moss, the film’s dialogue isn’t exactly sharp…if you know what I mean. Spoken dialogue lines come off as broad and tad bit clunky. I’m say its terribly-written, but you can obliviously tell that the written dialogue is more in line with a Call of Duty video game (speaking in broad terms) and isn’t exactly clever as it wants to be. Thus, it certainly falls to the acting talents of the individuals to elevate the mediocre dialogue in Hunter Killer . However, the characters themselves are a bit “broad”, but more on that below. Additionally, the film’s ending could’ve been expanded upon and could’ve added some closure to the film’s respected characters.

The cast in Hunter Killer has several well-known and recognizable names attached to the project, which does a cinematic flavor of “promise” to the movie’s proceedings. Unfortunately, while the talents are there, majority of these characters are mostly broad / stock-like with very little details and roundness to make them standout beyond the framework of the narrative’s story. Again, another problem of the film being a bit too familiar. At the head of the pack is actor Gerard Butler, who plays Hunter Killer’s central protagonist character of Commander Joe Glass. Butler, known for his roles in 300 , The Phantom of the Opera , and Law Abiding Citizen , is a perfect fit for the role Joe Glass; a stoic no-nonsense type of man who takes charge of the USS Arkansas (and its crew) on his own terms. While the character isn’t exactly original and is more of a broad stereotypical action hero (kind of sort of), Butler makes the role his own and finding his iteration of Joe Glass to be a suitable choice for Hunter Killer . To be honest, since he made his screen presence known by playing Leonidas in 300 , Butler hasn’t exactly had the greatest career, with many roles being “too wooden” in otherwise mediocre features (i.e. Gods of Egypt , The Gamer , Olympus has Fallen , and Geostorm ). Thus, I was surprise how much I liked Butler as Glass and he definitely anchored the film during the narrative thread on the USS Arkansas. Additionally, there is a plethora of minor supporting characters that make up the crew of Arkansas, but they are too numerous to list off in this review. Suffice to say that majority of them (if not all) do well in their respective roles onboard the USS Arkansas (be small roles or just physical present in the feature).

The other major players (mostly the “big ticketed” stars of the feature) are represented in the “B” storyline, which focuses on the drama taking place within the CIA’s intelligence war room; finding actor Gary Oldman ( Darkest Hour and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ) as CJCS Admiral Charles Donnegan, rapper / actor Common ( The Hate U Give and Smallfoot ) as Rear Admiral John Fisk, and actress Linda Cardellini ( Avengers: Age of Ultron and A Simple Favor ) as NSA senior analyst Jayne Norquist respectfully. While these two actors (and actress) are the most recognizable in Hunter Killer (beyond Gerard Butler), they serve to anchor the movie and lending the acting talents to this storyline thread, which they do solidly. The problem, however, is that, while this trio are good, they’ve done (and played) in better previous roles that the ones they are playing in Hunter Killer . Again, this is mostly due to the character’s being extremely broad (i.e. the senior admiral, the mid-level commander, and the intelligence analyst) with very little character growth and mostly serving the plot of the film rather than personal development. Still, Oldman, Common, and Cardellini’s acting talents elevate their thinly-sketched characters on-screen.

While USS Arkansas is considered the “A” storyline and the CIA war room is the “B” storyline, then the narrative thread that focuses on the Navy SEAL team that goes behind enemy lines (as well as the Russian “coupe de tat” storyline is the “C” storyline in Hunter Killer. The cast of the Navy SEAL team, which consist of actor Toby Stephens ( Black Sails and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi ) as Lieutenant Bill Bearman, actor Gabriel Chavarria ( Freedom Writers and War for the Planet of the Apes ) as Jimenez, actor Zane Holtz ( Beyond the Night and The Perks of Being a Wallflower ) as Martinelli, and actor Michael Trucco ( Battlestar Galactica and Hush ) as Hall, are good in their roles and are fine in the movie. Again (like a lot of characters in the movie), these characters are very broad, playing the stereotypical Navy SEAL team (miltary-ish commando comradery) that display large-than-life heroics.

Rounding out the film’s cast are the film’s Russian-based characters, which is consist of actor Alexander Diachenko ( The Star and White Gold ) as Russian President Zakarin and actor Michael Gor ( Bridge of Spies and The Hitman’s Bodyguard ) as Russian Defence Minister Dmitri Durov, are effective in the individual roles as presidential captive and antagonist usurper. All in all, both are perfectly fine in their respective parts. Lastly, it should be noted that actor Michael Nyquist ( The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the Swedish version) and John Wick ), who plays Russian Captain Sergi Andropoyov in the movie, passed away on June 27 th , 2017, making his involvement in Hunter Killer one of three of his last movies (all three to released in 2018) before his untimely death (i.e. RIP Nyquist).

FINAL THOUGHTS

The USS Arkansas heads into troubled waters and helps aide in a rescue attempt from a Russian coupe in the movie Hunter Killer . Director Donovan Marsh latest film sees plenty of action thrills and nuances throughout the film and plays up the “action spirit” from the 90s. While the movie does stumble into familiar military movie tropes (and clichés) as well as some of the slightly generic characters, Hunter Killer succeeds in presenting itself as a classic action movie, which is well-made and has enough gleeful action fun to keep it engaging and entertaining, especially thanks to Marsh’s direction and the film’s cast. Personally, liked this movie. Yes, it had its problems and didn’t really “color outside the lines”, but I actually enjoyed the feature (probably a bit more than many other movie critics out there would). I don’t know…. I think of this as a good guilty pleasure action flick. However, some might not see it that way. Thus, my recommendation for this would be both a “recommended” one, especially most for action movie junkies out there and some causal moviegoers out there as well as an “iffy choice” for everyone else. That being said, at the end of the day, Hunter Killer may not be the quintessential military action (won’t beat out The Hunt for Red October or Crimson Tide of submarine themed features), but it is still strong (and engaging) one that succeeds in being cinematically entertaining in the realm of movie escapism.

3.8 Out of 5 (Recommended / Iffy Choice)

Released on: october 26th, 2018, reviewed on: november 14th, 2018.

Hunter Killer  is 121 minutes long and is rated R for violence and some language

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Hunter Killer (2018)

In all honesty I was expecting Hunter Killer to be awful, so when I exited the film mildly amused at the mediocre actioner I had just witnessed I chalked it up to a relative win overall.  Now, I can’t for the life of me remember a great deal of what took place over the course of the film’s 120-minute running time (forgettable this film is) but it proved investing-enough escapist entertainment throughout its duration.

A formulaic plot, a script filled with unnatural dialogue, and Gerard Butler doing his masc-Gerard-Butler-thing, Hunter Killer adheres to the conventions we’d expect, and its initially messy start threatens the worst.  Once the unconvincing CGI passes and Butler’s deep sea captain Joe Glass is introduced, Donovan Marsh’s underwater thriller perks up with mounting action and suitable performances from an ensemble cast that deserve better but elevate what little they have to work with; Linda Cardellini as a National Security Agency analyst, Common as a Rear Admiral, and Gary Oldman as an Admiral ready for war just some of the impressive names on hand.

As to be expected Glass is a man that plays by his own rules, and when he’s called upon to assist an American submarine in locating another U.S. vessel that has gone missing during its mission shadowing a Russian sub, the popcorn entertainment begins to fly thick and fast as the Russian president becomes involved in a subplot involving his capture by a mutiny-seeking general.

There’s so much exposition taking place you’d be forgiven for losing track of which story to focus on, but honestly Hunter Killer is more invested in setting up nonsensical action sequences and genre-specific pro-America Oohrah than constructing a story that makes a lick of sense.  To its credit, the film isn’t pretending to be anything other than what it is, and though it’s far too forgettable and underwhelming to be worthy of a cinema trip, if you came across this title whilst scanning your Netflix you’d be satisfied to tune in (and then tune out) and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

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Review: hunter killer.

The film is a second-rate airport thriller that makes The Hunt for Red October seem like nonfiction by comparison.

Given Gerard Butler’s recent PR stunt at the Pentagon, which saw the actor fielding questions from the press in the guise of his character from Hunter Killer , and the film’s ardent adherence to naval lingo, it’s evident that director Donovan Marsh is desperate to pass off his latest as the epitome of realism. Certainly a good deal of the film’s underwater footage looks remarkably authentic, especially during a gripping, white-knuckle sequence where Butler’s all-business Captain Joe Glass surreptitiously navigates his submarine through heavily secured Russian waters. But all the hollow, one-note characters and laughably simplistic, unrecognizable geopolitics on display throughout Hunter Killer betray its roots as a second-rate airport thriller that makes The Hunt for Red October seem like nonfiction by comparison.

When Gary Oldman’s Charles Donnegan, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, drops tablets of Alka Seltzer into a glass of water and storms into a command room to determine what exactly led to a surprise attack that left both a Russian and American submarine at the bottom of the ocean, Hunter Killer cues us to expect some seriously epic drama. He’s initially met with stifling resistance by N.S.A. whiz Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardellini), suggesting a potentially intriguing conflict between the objectives of the military and intelligence community, but the two quickly and civilly set aside their differences. This is a Navy-approved film after all. And before long, Jayne is hacking into a camera just in time for its live feed to catch Russian soldiers, in the midst of a coup, executing Russian President Zakarin’s (Alexander Diachenko) bodyguards before taking their leader captive.

As Hunter Killer ’s narrative begins to increasingly depend on the cooperation between Russians and Americans as they combat this escalating coup, the sudden about-face becomes the film’s modus operandi. Upon Captain Androponov (Michael Nyqvist) being rescued from the Russian submarine, it takes nothing more than Glass showing the loyal Ruskie a single photograph for the man to join him in trying to save President Zakarin. Glass quips that “It’s not about your side or my side. It’s about our future.” But in Hunter Killer ’s strange alternative reality, where a benevolent Russian president battles a military coup with no apparent reason to overthrow him, it’s impossible to tell what future he or the film are even talking about.

Above ground, a team of faceless, indistinguishable Navy SEALs led by Bill Beaman (Toby Stephens) work to rescue Zakarin in a mission that would surely get Michael Bay’s rocks off. Not only do the men convince a wounded Russian bodyguard to aid them in the rescue, but they even toss the president a pistol so he, too, can later get in on the action. This would all be fitting were the film consistently engaging in the campy action of something like Air Force One . But so much of Hunter Killer is dedicated to laboriously and humorlessly depicting the challenges of commanding a submarine or mounting a successful rescue mission that these jarring disruptions of exceptionally over-the-top movie moments only further muddle the film’s failed attempts to come off as a raw and credible representation of naval operations.

Ultimately, the nonsensical cooperation between the Russians and Americans in the film does little more than advocate for ever-increasing military budgets as the muscular display of arms on both sides works to prevent a usurpation of global powers. Considering the complex circumstances surrounding any coup, one would expect the filmmakers to provide some of the characters with a sense of doubt or moral ambiguity about their ongoing missions. But aside from Glass’s executive officer (Carter MacIntyre), who questions only his superior’s willingness to trust the Russians, anyone else could have uttered Beaman’s line: “I don’t know shit about politics.” Later, when Glass is asked how he knew a late-in-the-game gamble would work, he replies, “I didn’t. I hoped.” And it’s only when you have endless military resources that you can afford these luxuries of political obliviousness and blind faith. In fact, they can often be the very things that define a modern military hero, so maybe Hunter Killer is more a film of its time that it initially seems.

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Movie Review: “Hunter Killer”

Oct 26, 2018 | Movies

In “Hunter Killer,” Joe Glass plays a first-time US submarine captain caught in the middle of an escalating conflict with Russia, and he’s going to fix the problem his way, dammit! Naturally, his second in command, the executive officer, abhors every decision Captain Joe makes and protests loudly — until, in the end, he’s learned a lesson in leadership he’ll never forget.

That’s the kind of cliched stuff going on throughout “Hunter Killer.”

The title comes from a class of submarines specifically designed to attack and sink other submarines. The movie starts during what should be a normal peacetime encounter between an American sub and a Russian sub beneath the polar ice which turns deadly when both of them are sunk by an unknown third vessel. The latter turns out to be part of some rogue Russian forces led by Admiral Durov, who is staging a coup that includes kidnapping the Russian president and convincing the world the Americans are behind the whole thing.

While investigating the sinking of the first US sub, Captain Joe and his crew aboard the USS Arkansas are dragged into the Durov matter, along with four Navy Seals who are sent to rescue the Russian leader and bring him on board the Arkansas so he can tell the world the truth about what’s happened. The Seals are your usual snarky tough guys, expert in everything they do, making up their own rules as they work the mission — hey, just like Captain Joe!

Meanwhile, monitoring all this at the Pentagon, Rear Admiral Fisk (Common) and NSA Officer Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardellini) are in their own battle with Joint Chiefs Chairman Donnegan (Gary Oldman). He can’t wait to raise the threat level to DefCon One and take on the Russians, while they have faith in Captain Joe and the Seals to resolve the crisis without exchanging missiles. There’s a scene in the White House situation room in which all three make their case to US President Dover (Caroline Goodall) that made me wonder if “Hunter Killer” was made before Trump was elected. I checked and, sure enough, most of the movie was shot in the summer of 2016, when they probably assumed the US was about to have its own female president in Hillary Clinton. That means it was also filmed before Oldman took on his Oscar-winning role as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour,” which required slightly less scenery-chewing than he does here.

“Hunter Killer” is the first really big movie that Donovan Marsh has directed and he does a good job with its look. The underwater scenes contain some of the best submarine footage since “Hunt For Red October,” and he doesn’t let the soundtrack and special effects get in the way of the drama. Unfortunately, he was stuck with a script that’s filled with more stereotypical characters than anything else I’ve seen lately.

Still, if you don’t go in with high expectations but want a little bit of escapist action-movie entertainment, you could do worse than “Hunter Killer.” I give it a 5 out of 10.

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Hunter Killer (2018)

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Hunter Killer: Is the Gerard Butler Movie Based on Actual Events?

‘Hunter Killer,’ helmed by director Donovan Marsh, is a 2018 action thriller following a U.S. nuclear submarine working in tandem with a SEAL team to neutralize rogue Russian elements. The Virginia-class USS Arkansas is captained by Joe Glass (Gerard Butler), a young and untested officer, while the SEAL team suffers setbacks from the onset of their operation. They discover a coup in progress as the Russian defense minister is holding the President prisoner while looking to start a war with the United States. The Arkansas comes across a friendly vessel destroyed with torpedoes and finds themselves ambushed by an Akula-class Russian submarine. The doomsday scenario painted in the film may have you wondering whether it is based on a true story or inspired by one.

Hunter Killer is Based on a Novel

‘Hunter Killer’ isn’t inspired by real events, but is based on the fiction novel ‘Firing Point’ by former US submarine commander George Wallace, co-authored by warfare historian Don Keith. The book’s name has been changed to match the film’s title following its release. The retired captain was initially inspired to write about life onboard a submarine when he returned to the civilian world and realized, there was a huge knowledge gap in public perception of a submariner’s work.

He wrote his first novel, ‘Final Bearing’, by taking his experiences and building an adventurous plot surrounding it. His intention was to inform the general public of the trials and tribulations of submarine life along with its thrills and terrors. The book became a national bestseller, and he wrote his second book, ‘Firing Point,’ with a greater focus on the plot, which succeeded to the point of attracting attention for a film. The author had been a submariner during the Cold War, and one can notice its influence on the plot as the Cold War rivals face off at a nuclear flashpoint point once again in ‘Hunter Killer.’

Despite the fictional scenarios shown in the film, the cast and crew were aligned towards creating as authentic a production as possible. To this end, the director was allowed to spend three days aboard USS Houston, a Los Angeles–class attack submarine, before filming began. He gained an appreciation for the men working in claustrophobic conditions and living life hundreds of feet below the surface. Once filming began, a few scenes were shot in a real nuclear submarine, the USS Texas. The director and his team were able to witness the classified operations of a fully-fledged nuclear submarine in action.

They made use of the two days granted to them, by filming drills of real submariners, which found their way into the movie. Additionally, the exterior of the vessel was filmed at this time with cameras attached to its sides to record submersing and nailing the one-take shot of the submarine surfacing from a helicopter. The production crew further spent a week in the Virginia-class submarine USS Hawaii, taking measurements and photographs to accurately recreate the vessel’s interiors in a London-based Ealing Studios. The scenes were therefore lent authenticity with an accurate submarine interior created in production and shots of a real submarine’s complex internal structures.

Having spent time on a real submersible, Marsh made the expensive decision to mount the entire set on a gimbal capable of rocking back and forth to imitate the movement of a submersible vessel. Interestingly, the submarine in the book was an older, Los Angeles-class model. But when the producers of ‘Hunter Killer’ talked to the Navy, they were offered to film in the newer Virginia class, which hadn’t been showcased in a film at the time. This was a great boon from a filmmaker’s perspective, as the Los Angeles-class submarines had a huge periscope on the bridge, which would have been very difficult to film around.

The Arkansas, however, has a modern command deck similar to the starship enterprise, with screens and consoles replacing older analog controls. Actor Gerard Butler was committed to realism as well and opted to film scenes involving the submarine flooding in Pearl Harbour’s wet-trainer room used by sailors to prepare for damage control scenarios. Thus, the scene of lethal flooding in the movie became incredibly realistic, with the actor immersed in the ice-cold water of the wet-trainer. ‘Hunter Killer’ bases its narrative on the book but takes certain liberties with its plot lines, action sequences, and ships used while creating a realistic experience of submarine warfare.

Read More:  Hunter Killer (2018): Where Was Gerard Butler’s Movie Filmed?

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Iconic action director john woo remakes his own movie in the killer trailer.

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Every American John Woo Film Ranked From Worst to Best

What happened to jd vance's mother, beverly, after hillbilly elegy, beetlejuice 2's age rating is a departure from tim burton's 1988 original.

• The trailer for John Woo's film The Killer features a skilled female assassin, showcasing intense action sequences and explosions.
• The upcoming Peacock adaptation features a cast led by Nathalie Emmanuel in the protagonist role for the film originally by Chow Yun-Fat.
• The Killer serves as Woo's return to high-stakes action, with the trailer indicating a modern update while maintaining classic story elements.

The trailer for the upcoming Peacock film The Killer has been released. The Killer was originally a 1989 action film by director John Woo. It features a leading cast including Chow Yun-Fat , Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu, Kenneth Tsang, Fui-On Shing, and Wing-Cho Yip. Woo also directs the upcoming Peacock adaptation. The Peacock adaptation's leading cast includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Sam Worthington, Omar Sy, Diana Silvers, Said Taghmaoui, and Hugo Diego Garcia.

Now, Peacock has released the trailer for The Killer .

The trailer for The Killer establishes the life of a skilled assassin who is reportedly a " legend " within her field. The scenes in the trailer transition between this killer's conversation with a cop and shots of her in more powerful and violent poses as she kills people with a flourish. At one point in the trailer, the protagonist says " never send boys to do a woman's job ," highlighting a difference from the original. The trailer is replete with explosions, intense gun fights, and highly choreographed action sequences.

The Killer Is The Perfect Return For Woo

Woo is acclaimed for his action movies.

Woo is an iconic action director known for making high-stakes and thrilling genre films. He has been making feature films since the 1970s, debuting with The Young Dragons in 1974. Since then, Woo's most significant work includes titles such as A Better Tomorrow , Red Cliff , Hard Boiled , and 2023's Silent Night . 1989's The Killer is also considered one of his more classic works , and similarly features an assassin who tries to use his earnings to restore the vision of a singer he accidentally blinded.

The trailer, the newest adaptation of the story looks far different from that of the original The Killer . The biggest change is that the protagonist of the film is now a woman , played by Emmanuel. This change appears to be significant for The Killer character as it is highlighted in the trailer itself. Making this casting shift could be a strong way to update The Killer while still maintaining the original film's story beats.

Every American John Woo film ranked from worst to best, from Hard Target to Face/Off to Broken Arrow to Mission: Impossible II and beyond.

The Killer trailer shows that Woo has in no way lost his penchant for high-volume action . The trailer for the Peacock film is packed with thrilling gunfight after gunfight, with fight choreography that often mimics the style of the original's gun fu genre film qualities. Woo's previous action work, Silent Night , was well-regarded by many, making The Killer is a chance to continue his positive streak. Hopefully, he will continue on strong as the movie prepares for its release at the end of the summer.

Source: Peacock

Heart of the Hunter is Netflix’s most-watched movie – here are 3 more thrillers to watch next

Like movies that keep you on the edge of your seat? You'll love this super-tense trio

Fans of proper nail-biter flicks probably already know that Heart of the Hunter , the explosive conspiracy thriller from the streamer's latest collaboration with South African filmmakers, is a huge hit on Netflix. At the time of writing, it's number one of the English movies chart, racking up 11 million views and nearly 20 million viewing hours. 

The movie tells the story of Zuko Khumalo, a man whose mission to save his family escalates into a battle to prevent a corrupt politician from becoming President, and features critically acclaimed character actor Bonko Khoza ( Necktie Youth , Collision , The Woman King ) in the lead role alongside a who's who of iconic South African actors.

If that's whetted your appetite for some tense thriller action, here are three more movies to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Killer is another Netflix hit, topping the streamer's movie charts when it premiered in November. Directed by David Fincher and starring Michael Fassbender, it's perhaps not Fincher's best movie but it's still a dark and stylish drama with a superb central performance by Fassbender as a killer for hire. Empire Magazine called it "a riveting revenge riot, with gobsmacking levels of film craft and a performance from Michael Fassbender to make your blood run cold."

This stripped-back survival thriller takes a simple and perhaps over-familiar premise – a woman becomes the obsession of a terrifying man in a place almost as dangerous as the man hunting her – and delivers an exceptionally tense drama that dispenses with cheap tricks such as jump scares, unreasonably proficient protagonists or far-fetched coincidences: Alone feels real, and that makes it all the more frightening. As Thrillist puts it: "The cat and mouse premise may be somewhat familiar, but the presentation is top-notch. Scary, suspenseful, and altogether compelling."

Emily The Criminal

You may know Aubrey Plaza from her roles in comedies such as Parks and Recreation , but here she's playing it straight as a young woman exploring the LA underworld. Thanks to her ever-spiralling debts she's desperate for cash and soon becomes a scammer, with all the excitement, adrenaline and danger that entails. The Daily Beast loved her performance, saying that " Emily the Criminal is just the latest in a decade’s worth of iconic, perfect, unforgettable dramatic roles for the queen of deadpan", while Ready Steady Cut writes that " Emily The Criminal is a brilliant piece of art that’s particularly relevant to today’s world. It’s almost terrifyingly realistic and shows how far a person is capable of going when society turns its back on them."

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man , is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind .

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‘Kill’ Review: Indian Bandits Pick the Wrong Train to Rob in One of the Best Pure Action Movies Since ‘The Raid’

David ehrlich.

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Following the festivities, Tulika and her business empire of a family board an overnight train to New Delhi to prepare for the wedding. Meanwhile, Amrit and Viresh sneak aboard with every intention of derailing that plan. Amrit may not be rich, but maybe there’s another way he can sufficiently impress Tulika’s father? Enter: 40 machete-wielding bandits (a family business of a different sort, it turns out), who begin stealing from the passengers, and even take Tulika’s younger sister as a hostage for good measure. By the time Amrit and Viresh start to make the dacoits severely regret picking this particular day to rob the Rajdhani Express, it seems like the movie around them has precious few surprises in store. 

The joke’s on us, and the punchline — delivered when Bhat triumphantly drops the blood-spattered title card 45 minutes into the action — hits with the force of a steaming locomotive. You see, the bandits may have thought they were hijacking the kind of movie that some might escape with their limbs intact, but one of them, a handsomely sociopathic failson named Fani (Raghav Juyal), just has to go and take things a little bit too far. Big mistake. Huge. I mean, the severely outnumbered Amrit and Viresh weren’t even going to fight back at first! But our boys can’t help but snap after Fani starts killing people.

“ Kill ” makes very, very good on its goofy title by the time all is said and done, but perhaps the most surprising thing about Bhat’s action extravaganza is that it inverts expectations without ever getting off-track. An instant classic of its genre already set for an English-language remake from the companies behind “ John Wick, ” this pulp melee of a movie — so winking and cartoonish when it first leaves the station — is beaten into something painfully tender by its final destination.

What is clear is that Amrit is deemed unworthy of Tulika’s love because of his station, and that the bumbling family of bandits who storm the Rajdhani Express belong to an even lower caste. Fani, who assumes control of the bad guys through sheer force of will, works at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, where his unleaded frustrations are fueled by his unrealized ambitions. Young, strapping, and somewhat unrealistically skilled with a knife, Fani is one of the few dacoits destined to be the villain in an action movie (down to his evil smirk and casual flair for misogyny). The rest of his brigade, many or all of whom are members of Fani’s extended family, are basically glorified bumpkins who’ve only become thieves to steal a decent life back for themselves. Their country-made guns are so unreliable that hostages become a more effective weapon. Most of the men are out of shape. Some are in their 50s and 60s. All of them, save Fani, see this as a shameful night job — more a chance to improve their circumstances than to avenge them. That is, until people start dying, and the battle with Amrit becomes extremely personal on both sides. 

But don’t worry, our boys are plenty capable on their own. Choreographed by action director Oh Se-young, whose previous train-ing includes his stuntwork on “Snowpiercer,” the fights make for a vicious and consistently satisfying display of close-quarters combat. The individual slashes and stabs are a bit slower than you might find in the “John Wicks” of the world, but that proves more a feature than a bug in a film whose narrow sets force characters to be precise with their movements, lest they accidentally slaughter a cousin or an innocent passenger.

Scored to the plucky tension of Ketan Sodha’s pulse-quickening score, that dynamic reflects how the film views its sprawling ensemble cast, whose every member we recognize and react to accordingly, even if character details are kept to a bare minimum. Amrit’s trajectory is the only one that really matters, and Bhat makes the most of his lead actor’s good looks, as Lakshya is perfect for the role of a fresh-faced matinee idol with features rendered almost unrecognizable beneath all the blood his character spills on the tracks — a corruption of the soul that “Kill” treats with just the right amount of seriousness for a movie where someone says “oh, they’ll get off the train all right, but only for their funerals .” 

Few action films have ever had as much fun subverting the expectations they set for their audience, but “Kill” is more than a cheap bait-and-switch. On the contrary, the story’s bruising power stems from the fact that, for people like Amrit and Fani, even the simplest or most innocent dreams have been priced at a cost they can hardly dare to fathom, let alone be able to afford.

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will release “Kill” in theaters on Thursday, July 4.

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Kyle Clifford latest: Suspect in hospital after being detained over deadly crossbow attack on wife and two daughters of BBC and Sky broadcaster John Hunt

Kyle Clifford, from Enfield, is detained after the deaths of three women in Bushey, Hertfordshire. They were the wife and two daughters of BBC and Sky racing broadcaster John Hunt.

Thursday 11 July 2024 06:14, UK

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• Triple murder suspect Kyle Clifford detained by police and taken to hospital
• Suspect pictured being stretchered out of cemetery
• Three women killed in crossbow attack were wife and two daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt
• Three victims named
• Women were still alive when emergency services arrived last night
• 'We're all here for you mate': Fellow sports commentator pays tribute to father and husband
• Live reporting by Emily Mee  and (earlier)  Katie Williams  and  Jess Sharp

We are now closing this live blog - scroll down for all the developments as they happened, or read our news report here…

A criminology professor has warned the country is in a "state of emergency" due to the level of violence against women. 

"We have a lot of work to do in terms of addressing the pernicious forms of misogyny, sexism, violence in our streets, our homes, online," Dr Aisha Gill told Sky News. 

She said crimes such as these "don't occur out of the blue" and we need to "look at everyday normalising of violence against women". 

Activists are "alarmed and enraged every single day", she said. 

"I really hope we do see greater accountability in terms of disrupting male privilege that allows this kind of violence to take place in our communities." 

Radio 5 Live presenter Mark Chapman has made an emotional tribute to his friend John Hunt at the start of the Euro 2024 pre-match show. 

Mr Hunt, a racing commentator, is the father and husband of the victims. 

Speaking through tears, Mr Chapman said: "This has been a heartbreaking day.

"John Hunt is our colleague and our friend, not just to the current 5 Live sport team but to all of those who have worked here with him over the past 20 years and also to all of you who have enjoyed his superb commentaries.

"On behalf of everybody connected to 5 Live sport, our love and thoughts and support are with John and his family."

Mourners have been leaving flowers and notes on the road where Carol Hunt and her daughters Louise and Hannah were killed. 

One poignant note read: "Hannah, Louise and Carol. I wish none of this was real. I wish I could hug you all, tell you how much you meant to me. 

"I wish we could hug each other. Love you forever, Mol xxxx."

Sports commentator Geoff Peters has said the murders in Bushey last night are "hard to comprehend". 

He described John Hunt, whose wife and daughters were killed in the attack, as a "colleague and friend, one of the best in the sports business and always a joy to be around". 

"Life can be so cruel. We're all here for you Hunty mate," he said. 

Another friend of Louise Hunt has said he feels "in denial" about her murder, and is "angry, sad and in shock".

"I couldn't believe what had happened at first," he told BBC News. 

"I'd heard the news from my sister early in the morning before I'd figured out who the victims were and, once I found out, it's been a massive shock, [I've] been in denial.

"I haven't processed it yet and I feel also angry towards the murder and I can't even begin to imagine what the father's going through - so, mixture of emotions - angry, sad and in shock."

Dog groomer Amy has said she knew 25-year-old victim Louise Hunt, who was also a dog groomer. 

"She was always very friendly when I had questions about dog grooming," she told Sky News. 

"It's such sad news. My thoughts are with her family and friends." 

A Rendlesham Road resident has said they saw about a dozen police officers searching a nearby house this morning. 

Rendlesham Road is a less than five-minute walk from the cemetery where Kyle Clifford was found. 

The resident, who did not want to be named, said it was a "shock" to see guns and dogs in his neighbourhood.

"The road went from quiet to manic out of nowhere. They were shouting 'armed police' and pointing their guns so it was clearly quite a serious matter," he said.

"I don't really know who lives there, I've never seen the guy the police are after."

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