Hunter Killer (film)
Hunter Killer is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by Donovan Marsh, written by Arne Schmidt and Jamie Moss, and based on the 2012 novel Firing Point by Don Keith and George Wallace. The film stars Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Michael Nyqvist, Common, Linda Cardellini and Toby Stephens, and follows a submarine crew and a group of Navy SEALS who rescue the captured Russian President from a coup.
Hunter Killer was released in the United States on October 26, 2018, by Summit Entertainment. A box-office flop, the film received mixed reviews from critics, who saw it as "an undemanding, by-the-numbers actioner".
Plot
The U.S. submarine USS Tampa Bay vanishes while shadowing the Russian Konek in the Arctic. Rear Admiral John Fisk sends the , under the command of newly-promoted and unorthodox Commander Joe Glass to investigate.At the same time, a Navy SEAL team under the command of Lieutenant Bill Beaman is sent in to discreetly observe a Russian naval base, but their mission is swiftly complicated when Martinelli, the team's new designated marksman recruit, is rendered injured during the HALO drop. When they arrive at the naval base, they witness defense minister, Admiral Dmitriy Durov, conducting a coup d'état and taking Russian President Nikolai Zakarin prisoner, and swiftly realize that Durov intends to trigger a war. Their location almost discovered by the Russians during a radio intercept check, the SEALS manage to hide away undetected. Martinelli is injured in the leg by gunfire from a Russian officer who fired stray bullets into their hiding location forcing the team to leave him behind.
Meanwhile, Arkansas discovers the destroyed Tampa Bay, and also finds the sunken Russian submarine Konek damaged in a manner that suggests internal sabotage rather than external attack. They are attacked by another Russian Akula submarine, Volkov, that has been hiding under an iceberg, but Glass is able to destroy the ambusher and rescue Russian survivors from Konek, including its captain Sergei Andropov.
Back at base, the U.S. government learns about the coup. Admiral Charles Donnegan recommends preparing for war, while Fisk suggests that Arkansas be sent to rendezvous with Beaman's team after they have rescued Zakarin. Glass manages to convince the reluctant Andropov to help, and with Andropov's knowledge of the minefield around the base, Glass navigates Arkansas near the base undetected. Meanwhile, Beaman's team infiltrate the base and succeed in retrieving President Zakarin, but lose two teammates, Devin Hall and Matt Johnstone, in the process. Beaman delivers the injured president to Arkansass deep-submergence rescue vehicle, then goes back alone for Martinelli saving him from Russian soldiers about to execute him during a capture.
As U.S. and Russian fleets face off for battle, Arkansas sustains further damage when they are attacked by Andropov's old ship—a heavily armed destroyer now commanded by Captain Vlade Sutrev, a member of Durov's conspiracy—but Andropov is able to communicate a message affirming that President Zakarin is aboard the submarine. When Durov orders his forces at the base to fire missiles at the surfaced Arkansas, Glass refuses to take action, recognizing that firing back at the Russians could start the war he is trying to stop. In the last seconds, Andropov's old crew mates defy orders and destroy the incoming missiles with the close-in weapon system before they can strike Arkansas, and subsequently destroy Durov's naval base headquarters with their missiles. With the war averted, Glass docks Arkansas to the Russian naval base to return Zakarin and Andropov's surviving crew to their country. Glass and Andropov bid farewell and confirm their respect for each other. Beaman returns with an injured Martinelli, and Arkansass crew travels back to the U.S.
Cast
Production
On November 12, 2015, it was announced that a deal between producers of the film had been made, that Relativity, Neal H. Moritz, and Toby Jaffe's Original Film would now produce the film along with Millennium Films, which would also co-finance and distribute. On March 3, 2016, it was announced that Donovan Marsh would direct the film and Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman would star, with Original Film's Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe producing the film along with Butler, Tooley Productions' Tucker Tooley, Alan Siegel, and Millennium's Mark Gill, John Thompson, Matt O'Toole and Les Weldon. On June 23, 2016, Taylor John Smith was cast in the film to play a sonar man on the sub. On July 6, 2016, Gabriel Chavarria joined the film to play a Navy SEAL aboard the U.S. submarine, next day, Zane Holtz also joined the film to play "Martinelli," a brave and skilled member of the elite unit. On July 13, 2016, Michael Trucco and Ryan McPartlin also came aboard to play a weapons specialist Devin Hall, and an ex-SEAL and CIA medic Matt Johnstone, respectively. On July 19, 2016, Michael Nyqvist was added to the cast to play Captain Sergei Andropov. On July 21, 2016, David Gyasi joined the film to play the Chief of the Boat of the submarine USS Omaha, with Toby Stephens cast to play Lt. Beaman, head of the black ops squad. On August 4, 2016, Linda Cardellini joined the cast.Principal photography on the film began on July 25, 2016, in London, and in Bulgaria. Interior sets of a Virginia-class Hunter Killer submarine were built at Ealing Studios, using blueprints approved by the U.S. Navy, with the spaces expanded slightly to allow freer camera movement. The sets were mounted on a gimbal to simulate the movement of the sea. Ealing also hosted a Pentagon set from where U.S. military personnel track the submarine action.
An exterior set of the main Hunter Killer submarine was built in Pinewood Studios’ 806,000-gallon exterior water tank, while underwater scenes were shot using a separate water tank at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, also just outside London. Interiors of the Russian base were built as sets at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
Release
The film was released in the United States on October 26, 2018, by Lionsgate through the Summit Premiere label. It was released in several territories, including the United Kingdom, the week before on October 19, 2018.In Ukraine, the film was scheduled to premiere on October 25, but the Ukraine Ministry of Culture denied it an exhibition license based on a 2012 law on cinematography that banned "the distribution and screening of films, the goal of which is to popularise the bodies of an aggressor state and/or Soviet state security organs". According to a representative of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, screening the film would be illegal because it contains a "positive image of the Russian president and admiral of the Russian army". Ukrainian-Russian relations have deteriorated since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.
In Russia, the film was scheduled to premiere on November 1, but the film failed to obtain an exhibition license from the culture ministry. The ministry stated that the copy of the movie submitted by the distributor for review was of poor quality and the replacement was submitted too late for the ministry to review it in time.
Home media
Hunter Killer was released on digital on January 15, 2019 and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on January 29, 2019 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.Reception
Box office
Hunter Killer grossed $15.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.9 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $31.7 million.In the United States and Canada, Hunter Killer was released alongside Indivisible and Johnny English Strikes Again, and was projected to gross $5–9 million from 2,720 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $2.6 million on its first day, including $420,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6.7 million, finishing fifth at the box office and marking the worst debut for Butler since Playing for Keeps in 2012. The film made $3.5 million in its second weekend, falling to ninth.