The relatively unheard-of Night Hunter, originally titled “Nomis,” clearly had a budget; however, the movie suffers from the introduction of too many characters and plotlines, a teasing editing style, and a messy third act.
Have you heard of Night Hunter? It came out recently and stars a few well-known names, so surely you have. No? Well, there might be a reason or two for that . . .
Night Hunter clearly had a budget, but the movie suffers from the introduction of too many characters and plotlines, a teasing editing style, and a messy third act.
We’ll get into all of that below, but first, check out the movie’s official description –
“Henry Cavill stars in this action-packed thrill ride that will shock you at every turn. When police detective Marshall (Cavill) and local vigilante Cooper (Ben Kingsley) arrest a serial killer targeting women, they discover his game has just begun. The hunt is on as the murderer masterminds a series of deadly attacks from behind bars. Now in a desperate race against time, Marshall and Cooper fight to stay one step ahead of their suspect’s deadly plan. Also starring Alexandra Daddario and Stanley Tucci. Night Hunter is a pulse-pounding thriller where the only way out is through the mind of a killer. Tick-tock.”
Written, directed, and produced by David Raymond, Night Hunter runs 99 minutes and also stars Brendan Fletcher, Minka Kelly, Emma Tremblay, Eliana Jones, Mpho Kohao and Nathan Fillion.
Night Hunter, originally titled “Nomis,” was filmed in 2017. Despite a remarkable lack of marketing and promotion, the movie clearly had a budget. Well-known names like Henry Cavill and Ben Kinglsey take the lead while other established actors like Stanley Tucci and Nathan Fillion take supporting roles. The sets look good, costumes are believable, and the camerawork seems fine. At no point does the movie look “cheap.” But, still, something seems off . . .
The movie opens with a memorable scene, actually one of the movie’s best. A girl runs through the woods late at night while being pursued by an unseen figure. She has escaped captivity. When she is cornered, she takes the power away from her captor by ending her life. The implication for the audience is that whoever this unknown villain is, he or she is such a terrible threat that death is better than returning to captivity. It’s a strong opening scene that sets a tone the rest of the movie is not able to match.
The story’s protagonist is police detective Walter Marshall (Cavill). Audiences first see Marshall as a father visiting his ex-wife (Kelly) and their daughter (Tremblay). After a great opening, this scene doesn’t manage to keep the audience connected. Cavill is stiff and flat in his delivery, and Kelly feels hesitant. She yells to her off-camera daughter, but it doesn’t seem convincing. The best performance in the scene is given by Emma Tremblay who seems quite believable as an average teenager who just wants to fit in with her peers by using social media to connect with others online. Cavill’s character speaks to his daughter like a student or employee more than a daughter. The odd dialogue and stiff delivery make it hard to connect with or care for Cavill’s Marshall.
A body is found, and viewers follow Marshall to the scene. His character works better in the police environment but still feels two-dimensional. Marshall is quick to put the clues together and realize that the girl may have been forced to commit suicide. The story wants you to believe that Marshall is an excellent detective and quite intelligent. He may be, but it feels forced. Why did no one else present before Marshall arrived notice the injuries, rope marks, and obvious signs of a struggle? They seem surprised by his deductions.
Marshall works with a team of officers including Commissioner Harper (Tucci) and two computer techs played by Koaho and Fillion. Tucci and Fillion are both rather well-known names. It seems strange to cast high profile actors and give them hardly any scenes or storyline. This move was likely made to arouse suspicion with the viewers. Surely, these characters have something to do with the body and they’ll be part of the big reveal! Well, (SPOILER ALERT) . . . not really. Not at all, actually. (END OF SPOILER ALERT)
Also on the team is psychological profiler Rachel Chase (Daddario). Chase is clearly an intelligent and insightful character, but those around her spend a lot of time “mansplaining” her job and her responsibilities to her. Is she new? Does she not know what a profiler does? The character is used to introduce new information about suspects and leads, but she is shut down and dismissed each time she offers a suggestion. By the films’s conclusion, she is relegated to damsel in distress and a possible love interest. It almost feels like David Raymond wanted a strong female character but did not know how to use her in the story.
The story follows a few other characters outside of the cops and Marshall’s family (I promise we’re almost done with the character introductions). Michael Cooper (Kinglsey) is a former judge who now works as a vigilante. Using his ward Lara (Jones) as bait, he lures sexual predators to a motel room, knocks them out, and castrates them for their crimes. Cooper is a fascinating character, but the audience is given very little information. Brief glimpses of Cooper’s backstory are teasingly edited into shots of him in a swimming pool. Viewers can draw their own conclusions, but they have very few concrete details. Kinglsey manages to do a lot with very little material and leads what is easily the movie’s most fascinating storyline.
After Lara is kidnapped during one of their operations, Cooper is forced to work with Marshall to find her. Oddly enough, no attention is paid to Cooper’s vigilantism. The cops appear to be entirely fine with his actions. The story seems to struggle with how to weave the storylines of Marshall and Cooper together.
The first act ends with the discovery of Lara and other girls being held captive by what appears to be a mentally handicapped man named Simon (Fletcher). But events continue to unfold after Simon’s arrest. Is he really behind the crimes? Could he be working with someone on the outside?
Investigations continue through the second act with the villain or possibly villains playing a cat-and-mouse game with the cops. Not every character survives the investigation. While there are a few plot holes and some issues with characters making illogical decisions, the second act sets the story up for a good “reveal” and final act.
Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t deliver a satisfying final act. The big reveal is made. While not impossible to predict, the answer wasn’t glaringly obvious. This is nice, but the reveal might leave some viewers very confused and taken out of the story. The third act does not tie in well to the first two. Though the big reveal of the villain is memorable, the story itself and the messy third act are rather forgettable.
Night Hunter, while a strong concept on paper, attempts to introduce too many characters and too many storylines. Many of these characters are interesting but aren’t given enough screen time and development to resonate with audiences. The characters of Cooper and Lara, for example, would have been more engaging if placed as the leads in a different story. By introducing too many characters, the story becomes muddy. The final act of the film doesn’t manage to provide a satisfying reveal and leaves its many characters as nothing more than tropes and archetypes.
Is There a Scene After the Credits?
No.
Special Features
The Blu-ray and Digital combo does not come with any special features.
Takeaway
The relatively unheard-of Night Hunter, originally titled “Nomis,” clearly had a budget; however, the movie suffers from the introduction of too many characters and plotlines, a teasing editing style, and a messy third act. The movie is led by notable names including Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, and Stanley Tucci, though Cavill’s performance feels stiff and his character seems two-dimensional. The introduction of too many characters with individual arcs muddies the story and prevents any individual character from having a complete arc or enough time to develop. While many of the characters are interesting, it might have been better to introduce them in different movies. After a decent setup, the movie’s final act and big “reveal” of the killer feel disjointed and messy. Overall, the story had a good premise but is ultimately rather forgettable. Despite an excellent opening scene, Night Hunter never manages to match the potential introduced in the first two minutes.
