Night Hunter Review

Hey there, my fellow Squirrel friends!  In a previous blog post, I mentioned embarking on a cinematic quest to catch every flick featuring the dashing Henry Cavill. After a quick search, I discovered he’s graced the screen in about fifteen films. Now, will I watch and review all of them? Not quite—I’ll be cherry-picking a select few, so stay tuned! 

One title that piqued my interest is “Night Hunter,” a film I hadn’t come across before. It seems like the kind of movie that quietly slipped onto DVD shelves back in 2018.

The story kicks off with a young lady fleeing from her captor. Eventually, she finds herself trapped and makes a desperate leap off an overpass, landing on a lumber truck. Meanwhile, Minnesota officers are investigating her tragic demise. Enter Ben Kingsley, portraying a vigilante ex-judge named Michael Cooper, who’s brought in for questioning after some reckless driving.

And there he is, Henry Cavill striding in like he owns the place, portraying Detective Walter Marshall. His character? A no-nonsense officer who could use a good scrub (maybe even a splash of bleach), but hey, I’d still take him any day!  

Now, racing against the clock, Cooper spills the beans. He’s been running a sting operation, using his ward Lara (played by Eliana Jones) as bait to lure and trap sexual predators. Once they’re caught, these predators face a rather unconventional fate—they’re castrated and extorted for money. Cooper pleads with the officers to help him find his girl.

But wait, there’s more! Cooper reveals that he’s equipped the young lady’s earrings with a tracker, granting the police department access to his state-of-the-art tracking system. Their pursuit leads them to a mansion owned by Simon Stulls (played by Brendan Fletcher), a seemingly mentally disabled man.

Inside the mansion, Detective Marshall uncovers a grim reality: abducted girls locked in small rooms. Simon is promptly arrested, and the police begin piecing together whether he’s responsible for these abductions. Enter Rachel, a profiling officer portrayed by Alexandra Daddario. She spends time with Simon, trying to understand him and his sinister equipment designed to make victims deaf.

In the end, Lara is saved, but her gratitude seems to have taken a vacation—she’s not exactly thrilled about the police swooping in at the last minute. 

After delving into Simon’s background, the investigators unearthed a grim past. Simon himself was born from sexual assault, and his mother attempted suicide before bringing him into the world. But the horrors didn’t end there—Simon suffered severe abuse at the hands of his mother and was kept in a cage like a forsaken monkey.

While Simon languishes in custody, the police force faces an unexpected threat. Another assailant targets them, resulting in the tragic deaths of six officers who were investigating Simon’s eerie abode.

Enter Glasow (played by Mpho Kohao), who finds himself in a desperate situation. His infant daughter’s life hangs in the balance, forcing him to make a harrowing choice: free Simon or risk losing his child forever. Earlier that day, Glasow assisted Detective Marshall in hacking Simon’s secure drive, revealing a disturbing revelation—the mysterious Hacker71. This shadowy figure had access to military-grade explosives and fuses, sending the investigation down a treacherous path.

But wait, there’s more! An ex-military man, implicated in the sale of equipment used to kidnap and assault over ten women, takes a drastic step. Confronted by Marshall, he turns the gun on himself, leaving behind a chilling silence.

As Rachael and Marshall dig deeper, they uncover a haunting connection. Simon’s father once owned a textile factory—a place where Simon’s mother faced her own assault. Armed with this newfound knowledge, they race to recapture Simon, who now stands over his dead father.

And then, the unexpected twist: Cooper discovers that Lara, the missing piece of this dark puzzle, is nowhere to be found. Simon, it seems, holds the key. With determination burning in his veins, Cooper embarks on a one-man investigation, unraveling secrets that go beyond Simon’s solitary actions.

This film may not be a blockbuster, but it grips your attention like a vice. I’ve watched it twice, and each time, I’m left marveling at how they pulled it all off. Very well done indeed! 

I give this movie 4 out of 5 acorns.