Henry Cavill’s serial killer thriller Night Hunter is not as bad as its abysmal 14% Rotten Tomatoes score makes it out to be. Also known by the title Nomis, Night Hunter has an outstanding cast led by Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci, and Nathan Fillion. Night Hunter follows Cavill’s protagonist Detective Walter Marshall, who searches for a serial killer in rural Minnesota. Night Hunter, which was written and directed by David Raymond, was released in theaters on September 6, 2019.
As the previous face of two franchises, Superman and The Witcher, Cavill seemingly has more freedom than ever in deciding which roles he will play throughout the 2020s and beyond. It’s plausible that Cavill, who has previously attached himself to many franchises such as Netflix’s Enola Holmes and even Mission: Impossible, is determined to keep his options open for more independent, standalone projects. He is set to star in the Guy Ritchie movie In the Grey alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza Gonzalez.
Henry Cavill’s Night Hunter Isn’t As Bad As The Rotten Tomatoes Score Suggests
It has a 50% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes
Night Hunter was mostly ripped apart by critics after its premiere at the 2018 LA Film Festival, which is how it ended up with its 14% Rotten Tomatoes score. Kevin Maher of The Times (UK) wrote in his 1-star review, “It’s defined by a constipated performance from Cavill and a debut screenplay from the film director David Raymond that’s so titter-inducing and derivative that it appears to have come straight from the Spike Jonze satire Adaptation.” Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com noted, “Testing the limits of good taste in otherwise formulaic grimdark entertainment is one thing, but pushing against those boundaries for its own sake is just tiresome.”
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Despite these negative comments, Night Hunter still has some redeeming qualities even though critics were almost universally against it. Josh Wilding of ComicBookMovie.com wrote in his 3-star review, “Night Hunter might not leave a lasting impact but it’s an exciting thriller full of killer twists and turns which will keep you guessing and the amazing cast alone makes it worth checking out.” While critics found the film to be over-the-top with ridiculous twists, some viewers, especially fans of Cavill, may find it to be enjoyable nonetheless.
Night Hunter’s Serial Killer Premise Is An Uncommon Role For Henry Cavill
Night Hunter is interesting just because of Cavill’s unusual casting
While Cavill has been in some dark movies, he hadn’t done a true serial killer thriller before Night Hunter, which is something more like Silence of the Lambs and Se7en. Most would agree that Night Hunter is not a perfect movie and some would say that it’s not a good movie whatsoever. Still, it is a nice change of pace for Cavill after years of predictable action roles and Superman appearances. Cavill hasn’t been tested much outside of the action genre. Despite its poor reception, Night Hunter at least can be appreciated for offering a new side of Cavill in his mostly repetitive filmography.