Hunter Killer (2018) * *

Directed by:  Donovan Marsh

Starring:  Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Linda Cardellini, Michael Nyqvist, Toby Stephens, Carter McIntyre, Michael Gor

Hunter Killer is a by-the-numbers thriller with few thrills and no surprises.    It isn't poorly made from a technical standpoint, but it languishes on the screen despite futile attempts to amp up the wattage through submarine battles, gunfights, and the customary, cliched score which accompanies these movies.   You know the one...with the drum rattles and "Rum de dum dum" melody.   And let's not forget the digital title readouts which crawl across the bottom of the screen noting where the action is taking place (example:  Barent Sea-Russia or The Pentagon).   I think we all know it's the Pentagon when we see the aerial view of the Pentagon.

The movie takes place in a bizarro world political landscape in which the Russians aren't ruled by a ruthless dictator like Vladimir Putin, but a sensible president who is kidnapped by his crooked minister of defense (Gor), who can barely conceal his evil intentions when he speaks.    The minister's plan is to stage a coup and remove the Russian president so he can start a war with the United States.    Not a brilliant strategy there, minister.    His government won't last very long with objectives such as that.   And the U.S. President is nothing like our current one.   The President is a level-headed woman, which is more like wishful thinking from the filmmakers and this reviewer.

As Hunter Killer opens, an American sub is sunk by a Russian sub after the Russian sub mistakenly believes the Americans fired on it.    We learn later this was not the case, and as the commander of the sub sent to investigate the matter determines.    The commander is Joe Glass (Butler), a career submarine man who didn't go to Annapolis, which his superiors believe will make him a perfect fit for the mission.    Why this is isn't explained, but I suppose it establishes Glass as a captain with a common touch who depends on hunches.    He does things his way and unconventionally, including rescuing the captain of the sunken submarine (Nyqvist) and using him to help navigate the treacherous waters of a strategically important fjord, much to the astonishment of his crew.    Glass is constantly at odds with his XO (McIntyre), who warns him of impending doom, court martials, etc. if Glass is to stay this course.

Hunter Killer wants to echo more successful submarine movies such as The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide, but the only it has in common with them is that it has submarines in it.    The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide were more intriguing due to the personalities of the captains involved.    There was a mystery to their actions which we needed to work to figure out.   Those films didn't rely on action as much as Hunter Killer, and thus were much more effective.   Joe Glass will not be mistaken for Sean Connery's Captain Marko Ramius, just as Gerard Butler will never be mistaken for Sean Connery.    Both are Scottish, and that is where the similarities end.

Butler can be effective in the right role, such as in Den of Thieves (2018) or even as an offbeat Phantom of the Opera, but he, like the rest of Hunter Killer, doesn't register much.    The movie feels like it is going through the motions and not much excitement is generated.    Gary Oldman, fresh off his Oscar win for last year's Darkest Hour, is given second billing but has maybe eight minutes of screen time as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.    He will not be making a return trip to the podium this year, but does have an Oldman moment in which he rants hysterically at one of his subordinates after a foul-up.    Darkest Hour appears to be an anomaly for him as far as his recent movie role choices are concerned.

Hunter Killer isn't just submarines duking it out, but we also have a Navy SEALs team attempting to infiltrate the compound holding the deposed Russian president hostage and rescue him.    They will then rendezvous with Glass' sub to get home.    All of this will be done in the name of preventing World War III, but the aforementioned Crimson Tide and Hunt for Red October also covered this ground.    There is little about Hunter Killer that is original or fresh, and it will likely be forgotten by moviegoers rather quickly.