HUNTERS (2020) – My rating: 9/10

Hunters is a 10 episode Amazon Prime Video series that follows a diverse group of fictional Nazi hunters in 1977, who lives in New York City. The Hunters series is based on the premise that Nazi war criminals are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the United States. A parallel plot is also being explored due to a government operation that relocated German scientists, who are mostly Nazis, to the US under a maneuver called “Operation Paperclip”. Inspiration for this series came from real Nazi hunters throughout the decades.

**** SPOILERS BELOW ****

Episode 1: “In the Belly of the Whale”
Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Written by: David Well
Synopsis: The US Undersecretary of State, Biff Simpson (Dylan Baker) is hosting a BBQ when a new guest arrives and recognizes Biff as a Senior Nazi. She is shot dead as was everyone at the BBQ.  Jonah Heidelbaum (Logan Lerman), a young mathematician and Ruth Heidelbaum (Jeannie Berlin), a Holocaust survivor and Jonah’s grandmother, live together in a modest Brooklyn apartment. The two were very close, so when Jonah witnessed someone brutally kill her in their apartment, he vowed to find the truth and make it right. During Ruth’s Shiva, Jonah meets a friend of his grandmother, Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino), Holocaust survivor and leader of Hunters. Jonah finds his grandmother’s killer and Meyer kills him;
Episode 2: “The Mourner’s Kaddish”
Directed by: David Yup
Written by: David Well
Synopsis: Johah becomes a member of Hunters, taking his grandmother’s place. The rest of the story involves this diverse cast of Nazi hunters plotting and rounding up Nazis to eliminate, as their mission is to stop the Nazi movement to create a Fourth Reich and take down the United States. Looking for a case of her own, FBI agent, Millie Morris (Jerrika Hinton) falls onto the Fourth Reich initiative, as well as Hunters. Meanwhile, Travis Leich (Greg Auston), a deadly American-born Nazi Acolyte, is sent to Florida to learn who is killing their Nazi members;
Episode 3: “While Visions of Safta Danced in his Head”
Directed by: Wayne Yip
Written by: Nikki Tuscano
Synopsis: This episode deals with codes, the Pied Piper of Buchenwald, and a big Nazi event that is scheduled to take place on July 13, 1977, in New York. Additionally, Jonah loses Arthur “Bootyhole” McGuigan (Caleb Emery) who was working Jonah’s shift when he was killed by Travis;
Episode 4: “The Pious Thieves”
Directed by: Nelson MacCormick
Written by: Mark Bianculli
Synopsis: More history regarding Ruth is revealed as Jonah finds a box of letters she wrote to Meyer.  The Hunters find a huge collection of Nazi stolen art and treasure hidden beneath a bank in Brooklyn;
Episode 5: “At Night, All Birds are Black”
Directed by: Dennie Gordon
Written by: David J. Rosen
Synopsis: Flashbacks reveal that The Wolf/William Zuchs (Christian Oliver) is a Nazi doctor who conducted experiments on prisoners and tormented Meyer and Ruth while at Auschwitz concentration camp.  Also, some of the team goes after Tilda Sauer (Barbara Sukowa) who was responsible for directing Nazi film propaganda;
Episode 6:  “(Ruth 1:16)”
Directed by: Millicent Shelton
Written by:  Zakiyyah Alexander
Synopsis:  This episode finds the team celebrating the Markowitz’ daughter’s wedding, which dredged up memories for Murray Markowitz (Saul Rubinek) and Mindy Markowitz (Carol Kane). They recall how a Nazi officer killed their young son. Sister Harriet (Kate Mulvany), a former MI6 operative, arrives at the wedding with the very officer who killed the Markowitz boy, tied up and given as a wedding gift. Unknown assailants beat up Millie.  Travis breaks into Meyer’s mansion, more secrets are revealed;
Episode 7:  “Shalom Motherf***er”
Directed by: Nelson McCormick
Written by:  Eduardo Javier Canto and Ryan Maldonado
Synopsis:  Meyer admits to being Jonah’s grandfather. The blackout of 1977 was part of a Nazi plot to create a distraction so they could smuggle a shipment of biological weapons through the port of New York City.  Jonah solves the final piece of a Nazi music code, and a member of Hunters is killed;
Episode 8: “The Jewish Question”
Directed by:  Michael Uppendahl
Written by:   David Weil and  Charley Casler
Synopsis:   Mindy Markowitz kills the man who murdered her son and the Hunters find Nazi and NASA scientist Wernher von Braun;
Episode 9: “The Great Ole Nazi Cookout of ’77”
Directed by:  Nelson McCormick
Written by:   Nikki Toscano
Synopsis:  This episode reveals the reasons given for bringing over the Nazis to the United States in the first place. The Hunters attack the Fourth Reich’s bunker and Travis is arrested by Millie. Additionally, Meyer manages to capture the Colonel (Lena Olin) who suggests that the pathogen isn’t the Fourth Reich’s only plan, and Meyer crashes his car into the river;
Episode 10:  “Eilu v’ Eilu”
Directed by:  Michael Uppendahl
Written by:   David Weil
Synopsis:  Meyer is rescued from the river by Sister Harriet, the Colonel who is the leader of the Fourth Reich is killed. Jonah begins a search for Wilhelm “The Wolf” Zuchs, the Nazi doctor who tortured Meyer and Ruth thirty years before. From clues, Jonah discovers Ruth’s files, which lead him to capture a surgeon he believes to be “The Wolf” who Meyer executes.

The ending of Hunters is shocking however, an outstanding dialogue is delivered throughout the series by the show’s exceptional writers. I was on the edge of my seat as I binge-watched this series. My only issue is with the casting of Al Pacino as a Jew.  While he delivered a great performance, I thought it odd not to have a Jewish person cast in a Jewish role.  It’s not hard to tell I highly recommend Hunters as a first-class series.  If nothing else, you will learn some of the disastrous and horrific atrocities the Jews suffered during the Holocaust.  Please know that I left out most of the revealing synopsis of each episode as not to spoil the entire show.  There is plenty of violence and bad language but the series was fabulous!  I suspect there will be a 2nd season, meanwhile, the current season of Hunters air on Amazon Prime Video and is an original, which is free to Amazon Prime subscribers.  Check It Out!

 

 

HARRIET (2019) – My rating: 9/10

 

Harriet is a biographical film about slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, who wrote the screenplay with Gregory Allen Howard. Harriet was released in the US on November 1, 2019 by Focus Features, which is owned by Comcast. Harriet turned out to be better than I expected.  While Harriet isn’t 100% accurate, it’s close enough.  Everyone should learn about Harriet Tubman.

 

Harriet opens on the Brodess plantation in Maryland with Araminta “Minty Ross /  Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo) laid out near a tree.  She appears to be asleep but her husband John Tubman (Zackary Momoh) and her father Ben Ross (Clarke Peters) are standing by as she recovers from what they call “a spell”. In fact, her spells are visions of the future along with her conversations with GOD.  As Minty awakens, her husband cuddles her showing much love.  Minty is excited about a letter they received quoting freedom for her mother and perhaps Minty as well. This might mean they all could live together.

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Later Minty, her family and a few fellow-slaves gathered to listen to a church sermon, preached by a respected, fellow slave, Reverend Samual Green (Vondie Curtis-Hall) on the front porch steps of Edward Brodess’ (Michael Marunde) house. After the service, Minty and members of her family asked to speak with Edward regarding a promise his father made to free her mother, Rit Ross (Vanessa Bell Calloway) when she turns 45. Minty’s husband John and her father Ben were already free men. Rit is now 57 and Edward refuses to free her despite the letter stating the information needed for her release. Edward tears up the letter and banishes Ben and John from his plantation. Edward turns to his son, Gideon Brodess (Joe Alwyn) and says he would have sold Minty a long time ago if it weren’t for him. Rit cries and calls Edward the Devil. Upset, Minty runs away to the very tree where she had her last vision. She starts to rant and pray, asking GOD to take down Edward who is evil. Gideon appears and says “GOD don’t listen to Niggers”. He touches Minty, she brushes his hand off and he slaps her, then tells her a wicked story about pigs. He tells her she’s like a pig, one day you’ll have to eat it or sell it. A week later, Edward Brodess dies, leaving the plantation to his widow Eliza Brodess (Jennifer Nettles) and his elder son Gideon.

Gideon’s first order of business is to honor his father’s wishes by hanging “Negro slave girl for sale” flyers, made up to sell “Minty” South, away from her family.  Minty, who can’t read, has another spell/vision, which reveals her sale is soon to take place.  She instantly sees the urgency to run away to the North.  She tells her husband, who wants to run with her and reluctantly agrees to meet him at the outer gate as soon as she tells her father goodbye.  Minty passes by the field where slaves are working and starts to sing a code song “farewell”  that lets them know she is about to run.  Minty decides to run alone because she doesn’t want to jeopardize John’s freedom if caught.  John waits for Minty until dark, then realizes she’s not coming.  He starts walking back home to the plantation where he lives.  Gideon sees John and asks, “what are you doing here?” At the same time, a plantation hand catches up to Gideon and tells him Minty has run away.  Gideon now pulls a gun on John and demands to know where Minty is.  He strikes John when he answers he was just coming to see Minty and has no idea where she’s gone.

Meanwhile, Minty runs to her father’s house to tell him of her plans to run and gathers a few items.  Ben wouldn’t look at her in order to say he never set eyes on Minty. As a keepsake, he gives her a small talisman; a beautiful carving of a man’s head.  He also demands that she goes to see Rev. Green before leaving and ask him to pray for her journey. Rev. Green gives Minty directions to Wilmington, Del emphasizing, she has to be miles away before dawn. He also tells her, “fear is your enemy, keep faith in the Lord”, then gives her the name of a blacksmith, Thomas Garrett (Tim Guinee) to call on when she arrives.  As she leaves, he tells her to follow the North Star and if there are no stars, follow the river. If all else fails, follow GOD.

Focus Features’ website highlights the movie by saying, “Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, HARRIET tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

To find out the remainder of her story, see the movie, it’s really a very good film based in truth about a very real person.  Not everyone has had the privilege of learning Black History.  If you haven’t or if you don’t know about Harriet Tubman, you should see Harriet. Kasi Lemmons has done a good job of telling her story.  While I don’t think everything in this movie was exactly as things were, I do believe the very essence of Harriet’s life and passions were captured. I am unfamiliar with the young lady who played Harriet but I find her to be multi-talented and a brilliant actress. I heard the role was originally offered to Viola Davis but time went by and it never happened.  I also think Janelle Monae deserves acknowledgment for her brilliant performance as Marie Buchanon. This film is very well made.  Harriet received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised Erivo’s performance and found the film sincere but formulaic. I found the film enlightening, well-acted and worthy of an Oscar nod. Check It Out!

[HARRIET is Oscar-nominated for Best Actress and Best Original Song]