Courtesy of Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment 

Coming off a script that was conceived in 2011, the new Tom Clancy knockoff “Hunter Killer” details how one swooning captain (played by the emerging B movie heavyweight of the year Gerard Butler) and his team of sweaty sailors attempt to thwart a Russian conspiracy (and avoid starting World War III) in dark and treacherous waters. This is the kind've flick where Butler has to say things deadpan into the camera like “Did we just start a war?” or Academy Award winner Gary Oldman plays a defense secretary whose verbiage consists of “This is not the time to pussy around.” Jesus wept.

Regardless of its 2011 conception, it's hard not to look at “Hunter Killer” without the microscope of the current political climate. From the constant badgering of Russian intelligence, to the boots on the ground subplot revolving around the president himself - “Killer” rolls full steam ahead into an iceberg of laughable dialogue and even cheesier CGI effects. This thing looks like it could've been constructed on Windows Movie Maker.

“Battleship” never had it this bad.

Aside from all the flimsy and carbon copied personnel on screen (you won't remember any names or care about their wellbeing), the biggest question then becomes what's Butler doing with his career? Adding to this resume of other disaster films (and, well, disasters in the literal sense) “London Has Fallen,” “Geostorm” and “Den of Thieves” - with “Killer” taking the cake as his worst film to date. And I've seen “Gamer.”

But it's not just Butler, other respected actors like Oldman, Common and Linda Cardellini (as an NSA agent only utilized to say things like “I'm an NSA agent!”) cash in easy paychecks trying to make sense of this bargain rate Cold War epic.

Seriously, Donovan Marsh's film is air that evaporates upon it entering your brain, and running over the two hour mark is probably the most offensive thing this film could accomplish. Save yourself the time, and steer clear from this illogical excuse of mainstream cinema.

Grade: D-