I had not held out much hope for the weekend of November 3, but a suggestion that I might enjoy “Hunter Killer” led me to a very entertaining submarine film with enough action to satisfy even my jaded tastes. I still have memories of such gems from the 1950s as Run Silent, Run Deep; but anyone with claustrophobia should avoid submarine films.
In many ways, “Hunter Killer” resembles “The Hunt for Red October,” but it also enjoys many differences. Gerard Butler is more subdued than usual, but he does well as a new submarine commander with no Annapolis background who finds himself involved in a major confrontation with Russian vessels. Gary Oldman was the only other member of the cast I recognized; this is one of his more outlandish performances.
“Hunter Killer” is not essential, but it is fun. And, for once, I am not fussing about the language; I detected only a few vulgarisms.