"Hunter Killer" Movie Review

Gerard Butler has had a few stinkers lately with the exception of Den of Thieves. His new film Hunter Killer may actually get his career back on track. While it had its problems, it was actually a good, intense film with a ton of heart and a spirit that it seems we've lost as a whole.

The film follows untested Joe Glass who, as an emergency measure, is made captain of a class Hunter-Killer submarine and is sent on a rescue mission after an American sub is sunk by a Russian sub in Russian territory.

Based on a novel, Hunter Killer's story was well-written and well-conceived. The idea that a rogue inside the military wanting to incite war between the US and Russia is actually not far-fetched at all. As high as tensions are, there's always that possibility. On top of that, the film covered two additional storylines: a Navy SEAL team tasked with rescuing the Russian president, and an US Admiral who would rather start a war than think strategically. All of these plot points blend together very well, making one incredible tale.

If I had to gripe about anything, it would be the occasional glaring continuity error. The biggest and most unforgivable one is the ending. Spoiler warning if you want to know nothing. After all the damage the American sub has sustained throughout the film, it sails away like nothing happened. There's a fire that your men are attempting to get under control, your sub is flooding fast, but by all means sail away without signaling for repair help from your fellow fleet. The CGI was actually very good most of the time, faltering only once or twice. For a Gerard Butler film, everything felt very realistic and kept me intrigued for the entire film.

Now for the actors. Anyone that's a fan of Gerard Butler pretty much knows what to expect from him. I did like that he put more heart into this character than he has in a long time. Gary Oldman was excellent, as always, giving what was probably the film's best performance. Common was unusually off in this film. He's almost always a powerhouse and grabs your attention. In this, he was very wooden, almost like he really didn't want to be there. Linda Cardellini was a wonderful sight, however, and dominated her role. Last but certainly not least, the late Michael Nyqvist gave what almost seemed like his goodbye performance, however there's still one left unreleased that he was working on before he died. Hopefully they'll be able to keep the footage he completed.

In conclusion, I was actually fairly impressed with this one. Hopefully, Mr. Butler will keep up the good work and give us more films with the heart like this one had. I give Hunter Killer a 3 out of 4.