Hunter Killer

Year: 2018
Director: Donovan Marsh
Cast: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Michael Nyqvist, Common, Linda Cardellini, Carter MacIntyre, Toby Stephens, Alexander Diachenko, Michael Gor, David Gyasi


Plot: After two submarines, one Russian and one American, are sunk in Russian waters, another American submarine, the USS Arkansas, is sent under the leadership of an unorthodox captain to investigate. They subsequently discover a coup by the Russian defence minister and must now rescue the Russian president to avoid a war.


Review: It puzzles me as to why Gary Oldman is given top billing next to Gerard Butler when he's not in the film long enough to justify it. I'm guessing it's a marketing ploy by the film distributors. In reality, Butler's top billed co-star should have been the late Michael Nyqvist, who plays a Russian submarine captain.

Based on the novel Firing Point, Hunter Killer is a submarine action thriller, and while director Donovan Marsh does his best in creating some neat action sequences plus a cool sequence where the Arkansas has to evade mines and sensors near the ocean bed, it lacks any genuine suspense. It was actually more interesting watching the Navy SEAL team sent on the ground to retrieve the Russian president. The SEAL team engage in some firefights with the Russians during their mission, and while it feels all too familiar, there is at least some excitement during these sequences.

Another problem is how pretty much everyone onboard the Arkansas maintain the same look on their faces, trying to generate tension, but aside from Butler and Nyqvist, none of them truly pull it off. Butler does a good job in portraying a leader and a hero, though he doesn't actually get to kill anyone directly this time, while Nyqvist paints a sympathetic figure as a captain who only wants to serve his country the best way he knows. As one of his final roles before his recent death, he pulls it off well.

Oldman is given the thankless role of the Joint Chief Of Staff who only expects threats and war from the enemy, and does what he does best: yell. It's a role we've seen him do dozens of times, and is a waste of his talent. He's contrasted by Common as his subordinate and Linda Cardellini as an NSA analyst, both trying to find a way to prevent a war. They both do a proper enough job, but not enough to stand out.

Still, all is not lost. There is just enough here to constitute a generally entertaining action movie, it's just not fresh or suspenseful enough. Hunter Killer is still a decent way to kill 2 hours if you're at the cinema. (7/10)