Night Hunter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Night Hunter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 17, 2019

Night Hunter is one of those neither here-nor-there sorts that finds just enough narrative intensity, story interest, and character development to matter but nothing in sufficient quantities or in memorable order or fashion to elevate the film above the midline. Written and directed by David Raymond in his feature debut, the film will score points with fans of primetime police procedurals and might even take some in the audience by surprise with its several twists and turns, but the movie amounts to little more than genre fodder, a larger budget spin on those primetime Cop shows that are so popular in between the singing competitions. The movie works well enough as a time killing escape but viewers shouldn't expect it to rock their world or be remembered as one of the all-time greats of its kind.

Michael Cooper (Ben Kingsley) and a young girl named Lara (Eliana Jones) entrap sleazy men who prey on gullible and desperate girls for sexual satisfaction. When Lara is kidnapped she is quickly found alongside several other girls long held captive in a home. Their abductor: a mentally unstable man named Simon Stulls (Brendan Fletcher). In custody, Simon exhibits “multi personality traits." He confounds detective Rachel Chase (Alexandra Daddario) and frustrates detective Walter Marshall (Henry Cavill), himself a father. But as the truth behind the abductions, and Simon, are revealed, the entire department finds itself under threat from an enemy more dangerous than anyone could have possibly imagined.

A movie that is this stock really begs for no further review than to label it as "generic." But in the interest of filling this space, here's an expansion of "generic." Night Hunter (even the name is generic) is competently put together from the top down. The film never betrays David Raymond as a first-time feature film director. It's slick if not somewhat stale in the center, certainly well put together without any glaring technical weaknesses on his part. It's a bit repetitive and overlong; clean-up in the editing room might have improved the picture to some extent, but really a trim here or there would just be to tinker around the edges; only an overhaul, beginning well before any editing process, could have truly saved the picture from the obscurity toward which it is destined. The cast is committed insofar as the materials allows. Raymond has put together a surprisingly deep roster of familiar names and faces, albeit none of them playing particularly memorable roles or finding any reason to stretch out of comfort zones, but nobody phones it in, either. Again, it's a case of the material being just good enough for the cast to give it the attention and respect it deserves but far from a quality that will rise the movie to anything but a glance-over footnote in anyone's filmography.

But the construction and performances aside, the movie's struggles come by way of its story, which is not terrible by any stretch of the imagination but its several twists can't mask fully bland characters, particularly those on the right side of law enforcement. There's just enough characterization to keep the audience mildly interested and to squeeze out just enough raw emotion as necessary to compliment the story and maintain a semblance of forward momentum. One of the best scenes involves a secondary character facing his infant child's fate in a legitimately breathless moment in a movie that is otherwise gasping for reasons to really exist. The story proves convoluted and confusing. Its primary twist straightens up some of the mess but by that point the film can't shake the procedural feeling, almost as if it were written by an A.I. that had been programed to analyze a couple of decades worth of various TV shows and come up with the most midline plot possible. Raymond's inspirations range from The Silence of the Lambs to Split, but the film ultimately lacks character and purpose beyond serving as a, yes, generic time killer that few are going to remember exists in a month.

Night Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The film was shot on digital. It's clean and efficient, a little flat but nicely detailed and well colored. It pushes towards a mild to moderate green tint at times, but the color balance appears spot-on within the movie's tonal peculiarities. Within the context, everything from clothes and blood to steely lines inside police interrogation rooms appear perfectly fine. Details are sharp and revealing. Facial close-ups are particularly rewarding, showing pores, scruff, wrinkles, and makeup with natural complexity and clarity. The picture maintains natural, effortless sharpness for the duration. Black levels are appropriately deep and accurate. Noise is kept to a minimum and no major source or encode flaws are readily apparent. The image is technically proficient. It's not necessarily a standout in any regard but it's perfectly capable, unoffensive, and seemingly true to the movie's intended visual stylings and structure.

Night Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Night Hunter's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is clear and capable, effective and efficient. The track employs and enjoys excellent spacial awareness in its movements around the stage, whether fast moving cars, natural environmental details, office din, or more intense action scenes. The track makes good use of every speaker in the configuration. Fluidity comes naturally and the feel for clarity and accuracy remains even with the more intensive sonic moments. An eerie presentation of Jingle Bells in chapter four is an excellent example of the track's intensity but also its ability to finely explore a broad range of sonic characteristics considering its deliberately uneven speed and cadence. Music in general, particularly score, presents with satisfying width, balanced surround support, the proper amount of low end complimentary weight, and perfect clarity. Dialogue is clear and center focused. It is always well prioritized. Like the video, the soundtrack is just fine, unremarkable in the greater Blu-ray landscape but a largely faultless compliment to the movie. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are included.

Night Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Night Hunter contains no supplements. The main menu screen offers only options to play the movie, toggle subtitles, and select scenes. No DVD copy is included, but Paramount has bundled in a digital copy voucher. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover, adding modest value for collectors.

Night Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Night Hunter would probably work better on the small screen. After all, stories just like these can be found on most any police procedural on any given night and on any given network. There's nothing at all here that's new or remarkable, unless someone considers the movie's almost startling adherence to formula to be remarkable. It does feature a stellar cast, albeit a stellar cast playing decidedly non-stellar roles. The movie plays well enough as a simple example of its type, nothing more and nothing less. Paramount's Blu-ray is unsurprisingly featureless, but video and audio presentations are just fine. For genre fans only.