The latest U.S. attack submarine, the Arkansas, is on the prowl under the ice cap of the north Atlantic. It is seeking to rescue the Russian president who has been kidnapped by a rogue USSR submarine commander in an attempt to heat up the cold war. The Arkansas lands a team of Navy Seals as a diversion.
Gerald Butler plays Joe Glass, the stoic captain of the Arkansas who is in command of the rescue mission. He finds the Russian sub and ‘smothers’ it from above to extract the abducted Russian President.
It is difficult to develop claustrophobia or tension in the spacious command room of the Arkansas. But after all this is the nuclear propulsion age (although never mentioned) where space is not the scarce commodity it was in World War II submarines.
Film makers were granted extraordinary access to film both the exterior and interior of the sub.
“Hunter Killer” gets an A minus rating. It is currently playing at Barnstorm Theater in The Villages. For submarine aficionados, I highly recommend “Das Boot” German submarine World War II thriller.
Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com
