Plot: After an accident derails their exploits in Europe, The Hunters must band back together to hunt down history’s most infamous Nazi—Adolf Hitler—who’s hiding in South America. Meanwhile, a look to the past reveals Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino) encountering a dangerous threat that could unravel his secret and expose his true identity, with explosive reverberations for our Hunters.
Review: It is rare to see a television series go out on its own terms after such a short time on the air. Despite premiering three years ago, the second season of Hunters was delayed due to COVID-19. After so many years away, the dramatic series about Nazi hunters in the 1970s returns with a vastly different sophomore season which also serves as its last. I enjoyed the first season of this pulpy exploitation thriller, but I loved the second despite it feeling like a wholly different series. Undoing much of what the first season did narratively, Hunters II is closer to the revisionist history of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds but with a much more timely take on the resurgence of hatred and racism and the diverse people who are willing to stand against it. A much tighter narrative propels this eight-episode run to one of the craziest series finales you could ever imagine gracing your screen.
Picking up two years after the first season’s events, Hunters II is set in two periods: the current 1979 storyline follows the now defunct Nazi hunters after an event in Spain forced them to disband. Jonah (Logan Lerman) is living in Paris with his fiance while the rest of the group is spread around the world. When Jonah reunites with FBI agent Millie Morris (Jerrika Hinton) with the information that Adolf Hitler (Udo Kier) is alive in South America, the band gets back together for the most important mission of their careers. At the same time, the season flashes back to 1975 as Meyer Offerman (Al Pacino), now revealed to be the Nazi known as The Wolf, assembles the titular hunters and new details change the entire story of this series. While Pacino’s scenes are as good as his performance in the first season, the 1979 search for Hitler drives the momentum of this season. It features top-notch performances from the entire ensemble, new characters portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh, and more.
Hunters II plays much more like a cohesive narrative this season as the crew reunites to find Hitler, who is plotting his own return thanks to The Colonel/Eva Braun (Lena Olin) and the psychopathic Travis Leich (Greg Austin). But, before they can stop the Fuhrer, the hunters must work through their mistrust of each other. Mindy Markowitz (Carol Kane) remains a voice of reason amongst the group, while Roxy (Tiffany Boone), Sister Harriet (Kate Mulvany), and Lonny Flash (Josh Radnor) are the most divided over Jonah’s actions which are explained as the season progresses. Jonah and Millie are the key figures in this story, and Logan Lerman cuts a much more substantial figure this time around compared to his naivete in the first year. Lerman, with shaggy hair and a full beard, is a commanding presence as the squad hunts Hitler and learns the fate of Joe Mizushima (Louis Ozawa). We also see the return of many deceased characters thanks to the flashbacks, which I will not explain in detail here lest it ruins the experience of this season.
Chock full of violent kills, Hunters II is every bit as edgy and bloody as the first season but with a slightly different feel. By shifting the story from the United States to Europe, the hunt for Nazis hiding in plain sight takes on a global flair that travels not only through the sites of World War II battles but down to South America, long known as a destination for escaped members of the Third Reich. While the first season felt like it was reveling in the same pleasure we get in murdering evil Nazis in games like Wolfenstein and Call of Duty, this season edges closer to a Mission: Impossible feel as the ensemble cast employs lots of complicated plans to find clues on their hunt for Hitler. But there is also a lot of fun to be had, including a memorable riff on The Sound of Music that will change how you look at singing nuns forever. But, as much fun as this series is, there is one character we have to discuss.
Udo Kier, who has played Dr. Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper, Dr. Jekyll, and countless other villains over his long career, has played Hitler before, but nothing like he does here. While revisionist takes on the legacy of Hitler are nothing new, the final episode of Hunters II offers a powerful twist on the revenge exacted on Nazis over the two seasons of this series while also evoking a disturbing parallel to the current political landscape in 2023. As the series concludes, I was somewhat surprised at how open-ended creator and showrunner David Weil leaves this story rather than tying up all the loose ends. By enlisting new directors this season, including Ozark and Daredevil helmer Phil Abraham, the look and feel this season takes excellent advantage of the slight time jump but still plays well in the late 1970s fashion and pop culture.
The first season of Hunters was a brutal blast that benefitted from bearing the name of executive producer Jordan Peele and the tease of being based on actual events. While renowned Nazi hunter Simon Weisenthal appears in this series, played by Judd Hirsch, nothing in Hunters II comes close to the actual historical record. By leaving reality behind and fully embracing the guttural thrill of bringing Adolf Hitler to justice, Hunters II elevates from a thriller to a roller coaster. Led by great acting and a performance by Al Pacino that completely changes the story of the first season of this series, Hunters II closes the series stronger than it started. It is a shame that this story is ending after just two runs, but I applaud the tightly-written story this season tells that doesn’t sacrifice a minute of its running time for anything less than sweat-inducing tension and I loved every minute of it.
Hunters‘ second and final season premieres on January 13th on Prime Video.