From the producers of Fast & Furious and London Has Fallen comes an action thriller set deep under the Arctic Ocean, Hunter Killer.
Starring Gerard Butler, the movie opened on Wednesday, Oct. 31, in Philippine theaters, proudly presented by VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment.
Hunter Killer refers to a naval vessel, especially a submarine, equipped to locate and destroy enemy vessels. The story begins with the sinking of a Russian submarine in the Arctic Ocean, which is immediately followed by the disappearance of the American sub that has been ghosting it.
During the investigation, it is discovered that a rogue Russian admiral is attempting to carry out a bloodthirsty coup at a naval base in Russia which could dismantle the world order. Joe Glass (Butler), the captain of a Hunter Killer, must now assemble an elite group of Navy SEALs and cross waters that no American sub has ever crossed before. All this to rescue the kidnapped Russian president and prevent World War III.
“A fictional event (that) could easily occur in today’s world” is how Director Donovan Marsh (award-winning crime drama iNumber, Number) describes this film.
“There have been many recent news articles about how Russian and American submarines are chasing each other under water in dangerous ways. Yet, because it’s happening under the ocean, the public never knows what’s going on,” he explains.
“I think audiences will be thrilled, be moved and they’ll have a good deal of fun, all while watching a story highly significant to what’s happening in 2018,” he adds closing his statement on a positive light.
The authenticity of Hunter Killer is due to its source material: the novel Firing Point, written by George Wallace, the highly experienced, retired commander of the nuclear attack submarine the USS Houston, along with the award-winning journalist and best-selling author Don Keith.
Bringing the book to life on screen started with the collaboration of screenwriters Arne L. Schmidt (Chain Reaction) and Jamie Moss (Ghost in a Shell), compressing the 700-plus-page novel into a taut exploration of the battle to stop a war both on land and below the water.
“ I felt it was the best military thriller I’d ever read,” commends Marsh. “ The essence of any great thriller is that you can’t predict what’s going to happen next, and as I read this script, I was genuinely on edge all the way. Plus it had such great, tough characters facing huge dilemmas that are too real.”
Early on, action icon Gerard Butler eyed the unusual role of Captain Joe Glass— who is more about daring strategy than physical derring-do.
To prepare for the role, Butler not only took that initial trip out on a working nuclear sub, he also spent extensive time with a number of former U.S. Navy commanders to channel their inner cores.
“The advisers I consulted with were indispensable,” he says. “These are people who can make the right moves like it’s in their sleep. Everything has to be automatic because when you’ve got freezing cold water coming in, the carbon dioxide is building, there’s a fire going on…your sub is about to go down, you need to be able to act in half a second. Learning about that was very enlightening. You see that it takes certain kind of individual to be able to lead in this very hazardous narrow tube.”
Oscar® winner Gary Oldman (Best Actor, Darkest Hour, 2017) plays the role of Admiral Charles Donnegan, the man leading the charge towards military action in the War Room in Washington D.C. to come up with the best response to the imminent global crisis for the United States.
