Rent Hunter Killer (2018)
3.3 of 5 from 636 ratings
1h 57min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Deep under the Arctic Ocean, American submarine Captain Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) is on the hunt for a U.S. sub in distress, when he discovers a secret Russian coup is in the offing, threatening to dismantle the world order. With crew and country on the line, Captain Glass must now assemble an elite group of Navy SEAL's to rescue the kidnapped Russian president and sneak through enemy waters to stop WWIII.
- Actors:
- Gerard Butler, Ethan Baird, Jacob Scipio, Dempsey Bovell, Corey Johnson, Adam James, Common, Henry Goodman, Colin Stinton, Gary Oldman, Carter MacIntyre, Shane Taylor, Kola Bokinni, Mikey Collins, Will Attenborough, Kieron Bimpson, David Gyasi, Michael Jibson, Christopher Goh, Brian Kinney
- Directors:
- Donovan Marsh
- Producers:
- Gerard Butler, Mark Gill, Toby Jaffe, Neal H. Moritz, Matthew O'Toole, Alan Siegel, John Thompson, Tucker Tooley, Les Weldon
- Writers:
- Arne Schmidt, Jamie Moss, George Wallace, Don Keith
- Studio:
- Lionsgate Films
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 2019, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, History of US Presidents in Cinema: Part 2, A Brief History of Film...
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 25/02/2019
- Run Time:
- 121 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing, Spanish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary with Director Donovan Marsh
- Surface Tension: Declassifying 'Hunter Killer'
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 25/02/2019
- Run Time:
- 121 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing, Spanish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary with Director Donovan Marsh
- Surface Tension: Declassifying 'Hunter Killer'
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Reviews (9) of Hunter Killer
Routine actioner - Hunter Killer review by CP Customer
There's not much wrong with this film. It's fast paced, well acted and watchable. it's just that submarine warfare, nuclear threats, cold war, macho heroics etc is all, well, a bit passé. It needed some twists and some imagination to raise it a level.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A standard Gerald Butler action thriller, with enough rug pulls & surprises to keep it enjoyable - Hunter Killer review by Timmy B
After various roles in various organisations and saving the world in various ways, Gerard Butler has chosen a submarine commander as his next port of call (sorry, bad pun but I couldn't resist it.)
Whilst it is fairly clichéd, it does have some good points. Michael Nyqvist, in what was sadly one of his final film roles, brings suitable gravitas & steel to his role as a Russian submarine commander who, after a betrayal from the Russian government, helps Butler's commander. The other actor who really makes an impression and probably was the best performance is Toby Stephens as the tough as nails Bill Beaman. You really believe that he is an elite level Navy Seal, thanks to some brilliantly directed action. There was one amusing addition to this film as well, albeit in a completely unintentional way: this was the first film that Gary Oldman starred in after winning his richly deserved Oscar. And literally it is a performance that is so phoned in, you wonder if he even bothered to look at the script and simply did a few days of filming just to cash in the cheque.
As I have alluded to in my other reviews of Butler's work, there is a running theme: you'll get effectively the same performance, with different scenarios and different levels of shouting. But it also has to be said that what he does, he does very well. He is a pleasure to be in the company of and as much as I wish he did more films like Coriolanus (by a country mile his best performance, even eclipsing Ralph Fiennes,) I enjoyed this film.
This, like many of his films, is a great watch on a Friday night when you want to switch your brain off and have some fun. Don't take it too seriously and you'll have a riot.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Great enjoyable film - Hunter Killer review by AW
One of the best and entertaining action films in many years. Brilliant acting by all the cast, a good story line and well produced and directed. This is a film I would willingly watch again. Noticeable that it has received better reviews by audiences and the public compared with so called film critics! Yes, there is a fair amount of cgi in the film but most of this is done far better and more professionally than the usual Hollywood offerings.
Very impressive and enjoyable.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Hunter Killer review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso
Gerard Butler can be a suitable action actor for the right project. Throw him into a film with lots of battles, gunfire, and explosions and he’ll bring out that inner beast. But for the submarine action picture Hunter Killer, it seems like some ordered a vanilla Butler. No emotional responses, no gritting of his teeth, and no harsh shouting. This isn’t even a brooding Butler that holds a quiet dignity. Here he stands in a role that requires him to be calm and stoic with hardly a trace of emotion.
I can’t blame Butler though. Hunter Killer is a film that does so little for intrigue in its lukewarm attempt to replicate the tunnel-vision appeal of a Tom Clancy novel. He plays Captain Joe Glass, a man called in to help solve a tough political situation of Americans and Russians on the brink of starting a war with a missing submarine. Glass is just the man for the job considering his stick-to-the-script methods as opposed to feuding arguments between Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman) on how to proceed. Oldman thankfully brings some heated words to an otherwise dreary military drama, having the honor of declaring that those in charge have not only started a war but lost it as well.
It’s sad, really, that Butler never gets to break out into a similar bit of hysterics, perhaps out of fears of him replicating his more familiar persona from the likes of 300 or Olympus Has Fallen. But why would you do that? The Hunt for the Red October, an obvious inspiration, was more notable because of the compelling performances and the tense atmosphere. And since this type of story is never given all that much glamour past the basic-level blockbuster theatrics of an underwhelming epic score, shaky camera work, and coordinated dialogue, the actors really have to carry the picture. To be fair, Butler does have a certain leadership quality but it’s vastly understated here. Again, why? What is the point in trying to stage a submarine drama with such slow and snoozing dignity when there have been dozens of these types of pictures prior with little new?
This is a workhorse picture where trying to judge its appeal is like trying to judge the entertainment value of a pen. It performs more or less the way it was designed. It stages some submarine action with is serviceable surface. There’s political intrigue that does at the very least keep the plot moving at a progressive pace. There are some gunfights for an extraction, staged with little hints of great stunt work and grit. But aside from some solid special effects and camera work, there’s little else to be invested in.
Hunter Killer did have a theatrical debut but it’s yet another vanilla entry in the military action genre that will soon be wedged between other generic titles that will soon be forgotten. I’ll admit there is a competency to this type of film that does put the effort in the production to stage a believable tale of politics, submarines, soldiers, and combat. But like a fine-looking car without any gas, it does little more than look pretty as it chugs along on fumes for energy.