Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Hunter Killer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 25, 2019

It’s maybe just a little odd in a supplement included on this Blu-ray to hear Gerard Butler wax enthusiastic about Hunter Killer as a “passion project” of his that he evidently fostered for years before it was ever produced. Typically many pet projects of leading lights of the film industry can tend to be a little on the eccentric side, which is of course one reason why they can tend not to be produced quickly. But in the case of Hunter Killer, there’s virtually nothing in the film that hasn’t been seen before, and it’s notable that even Butler refers to what he calls the “submarine genre” as not having been exploited lately, one reason he was so amped up to get Hunter Killer on the big screen. Interestingly, Butler and other talking heads in the featurette discuss that one of the things delaying the film’s production was that relations with Russia had improved at one point so much that making them the perceived “enemies” in the film was deemed unrealistic. That’s arguably a bit of weird reasoning, since Hunter Killer actually promotes a relationship between two submarine commanders, an American named Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) and a Russian named Sergei Andropov (Michael Nykvist), who work together to undercut a coup taking place in Russia. Even the coup aspect would seem to subliminally suggest that Russia isn’t a monolithic enemy in this piece, but one way or the other Hunter Killer ends up playing like a kind of weird mashup of elements in The Hunt For Red October and Seven Days in May.

The film begins with a brief prelude of sorts that shows both a Russian submarine and and American submarine meeting their fates in the frigid waters of the Berants Sea. It’s suggested that there may be a third submarine that took out both of the first two, but elements of the destruction are left up in the air (or down in the water, as the case may be). One way or the other, when the American sub, which had been shadowing the Russian sub, loses contact with military types back stateside, it of course kicks off an immediate search. Because Hunter Killer sticks pretty vigorously to Syd Field screenwriting techniques, there’s only one submarine close enough to the carnage to go investigate, the USS Arkansas, which has just had a new, untested commander appointed, one Joe Glass. The film’s introduction of Glass is one of those patently ridiculous vignettes meant to telescope everything noble about the character into one moment, in this case his hunting decision not to take out a buck (with a bow and arrow, no less) after he sees a doe and fawn following behind.

What’s perhaps most interesting about Hunter Killer is how it seems to be developing pretty resolutely on (as Butler terms it) “submarine genre” lines, only to then kind of dart off into a topside subplot involving an attempted coup in Russia. That element has a whole secondary group of American heroes, a SEAL team headed by a character named Bill Beaman (Toby Stephens), that infiltrates enemy territory to hopefully help figure out what’s going on (one might be tempted to say “what’s going on behind the Iron Curtain” had this film been set in the Soviet Era). Meanwhile (there’s a ton of “meanwhile” in this film), Glass and his team get to the devastating site of the American sub that met its fate in the film’s opening scenes, whereupon they hear a tapping sound coming from the remains of the Russian submarine that met its fate in the opening scenes. That leads to the submarine version that is at least somewhat like a conceit utilized decades ago in Airport 1975, with the Arkansas establishing a “connection” to the ruins of the Russian craft, and ultimately rescuing some crew members, including Captain Andropov.

Along with the sub angle and the SEAL angle, there’s a third set of characters in this arguably overstuffed and too fragmented feeling enterprise, all the folks back at the Pentagon. It’s refreshing in a way to see Gary Oldman as a good guy for a change, but his Admiral Charles Donnegan character is a place holder at best, with little in the writing that Oldman can sink his teeth into. This particular locale also houses Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) and an NSA analyst named Jayne Norquist (Linda Cardenelli). Also, perhaps a bit humorously for those who may wonder about the long gestational period this film evidently underwent, there’s a female President (Caroline Goodall) who seems awfully similar to the candidate who lost in 2016.

While there’s no denying that each of the strands of this tale are interwoven with each other, Hunter Killer has a curiously “ping ponging” ambience where things never really build to a major head, despite a prevalence of well executed scenes involving a fair degree of tension, and what amounts to a coup against the coup by Russians (again, these are the bad guys?) late in the film. There’s virtually no emotional attachment offered to any of these characters, meaning the “salute” to honorable behavior late in the film between the two would be nemeses (i.e., Glass and Andropov) seems artificial and almost surprisingly uninvolving.

Hunter Killer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hunter Killer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. The IMDb lists various Arri Alexa models as having been utilized for the shoot, and I am presuming everything was finished at a 2K DI (the IMDb omits that datapoint). This is a surprisingly strong looking transfer, especially given the glut of underwater material. While there's probably unavoidable haziness to some shots, shadow detail is rather well informed, at least at times, offering nice hints of details even through the murky blue waters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's the topside material that really pops with the most authenticity, and some of the outdoor material offers really excellent levels of fine detail. The interior submarine material is graded toward blue a lot of the time, but again detail levels are commendable for the most part. Some of the CGI looked downright hokey to me at times, not so much with regard to things like explosions or the underwater sequences, but more so with regard to passing moments like Glass' early hunting expedition, where his prey didn't strike me as especially realistic looking.

Hunter Killer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hunter Killer features a very effective Dolby Atmos track that regularly engages the Atmos channels with effects like a couple of big explosions, or even the "pings" that dot the submarine sonic environment. Several other big set pieces, like a parachute drop into enemy territory, also offer great opportunity for good surround activity. Trevor Morris' score is spread nicely through the side and rear channels, and dialogue is always rendered cleanly on this problem free track. Fidelity is excellent throughout the presentation, and there's really good attention paid to the difference in ambient reverb when the film switches to the more claustrophobic confines of the submarine. Dynamic range is very wide and adds to the enjoyment of the track.

Hunter Killer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Donovan Marsh


• Surface Tension: Declassifying Hunter Killer (1080p; 24:36) is an above average two part EPK that offers decent interviews and behind the scenes footage.

Hunter Killer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hunter Killer has a decent enough premise, even if large swaths of this film seem like retreads from earlier (and arguably better) films. Butler is stolid enough, and it's certainly a pleasure to see the late Nykvist in one of his last roles, but the film never really attains much momentum, despite some nicely staged action sequences. Fans of the cast may well want to check this out, and for those folks or anyone considering a purchase, the good news is that technical merits are first rate.