‘Hunters’: An Al Pacino show all the way

Al Pacino fans will insist that the megastar is the best actor in the entire universe. Even those less biased will agree that he has been among the best for decades. When Hunters began streaming on Amazon Prime Video recently, therefore, one can safely guess that many subscribers of the platform would have rushed to watch the ten-episode series.

How good, then, is Hunters?

It is a well-scripted revenge drama with exciting characters, smart twists, good performances, crisp editing and fine cinematography. Pacino, of course, is the star of the show.

The veteran plays Meyer Offerman, a Polish-Jewish philanthropist and the leader and recruiter of a group of Nazi hunters in the David Weil-created drama. World War II has ended decades ago, but Nazis responsible for grave war crimes have been living in the United States in plain sight.

What motivates Nazi hunters? As Offerman tells Jonah Heidelbaum (Logan Lerman), a Brooklyn teenager who loves comics and deals weed, “Revenge is the best revenge.” Nothing more, and nothing less than that, means much in the context of the drama.

These Nazi hunters, among them a former M16 operative (Kate Mulvany), a Vietnam veteran and combat expert (Louis Ozawa Changchien) and a former actor (Josh Radnor), are members of Offerman’s team. United by their objective, they meet regularly to share their thoughts and make plans.

Jonah lives with his grandmother (Jeannie Berlin), who is a Holocaust survivor. She gets murdered at home, but Jonah doesn’t get to see who has committed the crime. He promises to take revenge and tracks down

the criminal soon. His name is Heinz Richter, and he is the owner of a toy store. The discovery of Richter would be followed by a series of revelations, stating which would act as spoilers.

In another significant subplot, an elderly NASA engineer gets poisoned to death with gas inside her shower. FBI agent Millie Morris (Jerrika Hinton) deals with the prejudices of her bosses as she sets out to investigate the case. This engaging subplot makes us follow the proceedings with greater interest.

The show, on the whole, belongs to Pacino. Offerman has vengeance in his mind. He is intelligent, too, and filthy rich. Playing the old Jewish Nazi hunter, Pacino produces many memorable moments with his mannerisms and dialogue delivery.

Hinton is exceptional as the FBI agent who pursues the case against all odds, and Lerman as the teenager who finds himself in the middle of a lot of action is impressive as well.

Check out Hunters if you have a Prime Video subscription. If you don't, make sure you get one to watch it if you like action, twists in the plot, and some fine acting.