The first 85% of Amazon Prime's Hunters is probably some of the best television I have seen in a long time. A show about hunting down former Nazi's should be celebrated all throughout, no matter how silly it may get. And yet, once you enter the final two episodes, it does the unthinkable. It suddenly gets too ridiculous and too convoluted for its own good. It's like watching Shakespeare with a terrible M. Night Shyamalan style twist in the final quarter of the show. It is really a shame because, before that point, Hunters is a damn good show with great acting, gorgeous cinematography, and cathartically satisfying stories about taking down Nazi's with textured and sympathetic characters. Only for all of it to be ruined at the last minute for no justifiable reason. The bases were loaded, and the pitcher was hot, but when he needed it the most, his arm was not in the game.
Created by David Weil, the main story of the show follows a young Jewish boy named Jonah (Logan Lerman), who lives with his grandmother (a Holocaust survivor) in New York. One night, Jonah's grandmother is murdered by what appears to be a masked burglar. At her funeral, Jonah is approached by an old family friend named Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino), who reveals to Johan that his grandmother was part of a secret vigilante team known as The Hunters. A group of like-minded people who hunt down former Nazis hiding in plain sight. Meyer offers to bring Jonah into the group as he seeks justice for his grandmother. Soon after signing on, the team discovers that the Nazis are planning something huge that can potentially wipe out thousands of innocent people. Now they must solve the mystery while seeking justice for six million people.
There is a lot about this show to appreciate. The characters who make up The Hunters are all three dimensional and sympathetic. Each one has their own reasons for wanting to help track down Nazis. The story does a tremendous job of providing symbolic justice against Nazism and provides relevant commentary. It is worth noting that David Weil's grandparents were Holocaust survivors themselves. His grandmother's stories, in particular, inspired the concept of the show. There is no doubt that he had good intentions with this story, and it shows. Well, at least for the first three-quarters.
Without spoiling anything, the last two episodes of the show suddenly and drastically drag down any and all goodwill built up by the story. Among other things, they fail to provide a satisfactory conclusion to the main story, refuses to offer any kind of closure, and builds up a ton of loose threads in preparation for another season. Which, given the terrible execution of the first season's conclusion, if there is going to be another season, I will sadly not likely bother watching it. I was wholeheartedly engrossed in the story, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath me, resulting in a massive disappointment.
Despite the shows unfortunate lackluster conclusion, there is still a great deal of quality to be enjoyed.
As I said, the cast is spectacular. Al Pacino delivers his usual professional-quality performance. Walking a fine line between being the wise sage and the proficient Nazi killer. Logan Lerman is adequate as the main character, and it's nice to see him getting work after suffering through the failed Percy Jackson franchise. However, his character suffers from being too back & forth with his growth. Granted, part of that can be chalked up to his youth, but that is still cliche and not as interesting as some may want it to be. All of the Nazi characters are effectively terrifying, and the actors succeed in making us want to root for their demise. Speaking personally, my favorite characters are Murray and Mindy, an old married couple who work as the team's tech specialists. Their chemistry is adorable, and their motivations for joining The Hunters will tug at your heartstrings the most. I'm not ashamed to admit it...I cried.
Were it not for the last two episodes, I would have gladly and wholeheartedly recommended this show. There is too much quality here for it to be unappreciated and discarded. Sadly, the show's conclusion, or lack thereof, demolishes any hope of a future for this story. Hunters, and by extension, the audience, deserves so much better.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.
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