Gerard Butler's action thrillers seem to always get slammed by critics, but more often than not, I enjoy the hell out of them.
"Den of Thieves" made my personal Top 10 last year and the "Olympus Has Fallen" thrillers were hugely entertaining.
Gerard is back as an untested nuclear Submarine Captain pushed to the brink of war in HUNTER KILLER.
Captain Glass (Butler) takes the helm of the USS Arkansas to search for the missing USS Tampa Bay near Russian waters.
He and his crew are plunged into a coup attempt at the highest level of the Russian government.
As Glass and his crew battle underwater with unknown adversaries, a Navy Seal team on land is the most unnumbered force since Butler's gig in "300".
Gary Oldman is a hawkish Military leader and Common stars as an officer who battles traditional channels to support Glass.
Like an 80's Stallone action film, the story's solid, the patriotism is full tilt and everything comes at you loud and fast.
Michael Nyqvist (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) is excellent as a Russian sub captain who squares off with Glass. His and Butler's scenes together are terrific. He unfortunately passed away shortly after filming wrapped.
Poor Oldman is under used in his small role and Common is just...BAD, but Butler is terrific.
It may be "Hunt for Red October"-Lite, but its consistently entertaining, fast moving and a lot of fun.
The final battle standoff is as good as it gets. I haven't seen guns a-blazing like this in a long time...oh wait, since "Den of Thieves".
The underwater cat and mouse games of the massive submarines are well shot and suspenseful, half "Ice Station Zebra" and half Han Solo piloting the Millenium Falcon through the asteroid field, albeit at a much slower speed.
Butler rocks. Critics hated this movie. I enjoyed every minute of it (sans Common trying to act) and give it a B.
Comments