Henry Cavill’s 90-Minute Action Thriller Night Hunter Just Found A Free Streaming Home

Henry Cavill might have two of his most hyped roles ever coming up with Voltron and a brand new take on Highlander, but before all that, there’s one movie from his past that’s clawing its way out of the flop zone. If you missed (or skipped) Night Hunter back when it briefly surfaced in 2018, here’s your chance to catch it — this time, totally free. The film is about to hit Pluto TV starting May 1, meaning you can check out Cavill’s attempt at the classic ‘tired detective in over his head’ bit for exactly zero dollars.

Why 'Night Hunter' Is Suddenly Relevant Again

Night Hunter kind of disappeared after its festival debut at the LA Film Festival and a limited theatrical run. Cavill stars as Detective Walter Marshall — think a jaded cop with a closet full of questionable decisions and a very loose relationship with police procedure. His main job: hunting a serial kidnapper who’s maybe not acting alone, while someone else starts serving up vigilante ‘justice’ to internet creeps. The film tries for gritty and complex, layering on conspiracies and psychological games. And if you stick it out, the ending takes a hard left turn you probably won’t see coming.

This movie has been bouncing around streamers for a while (currently on Starz if you’re already paying for that), but now you can just watch it on Pluto TV with no strings attached.

Wait, Who Else Is in This Thing?

Cavill might be the draw, but the cast is stacked:

• Ben Kingsley
• Alexandra Daddario
• Stanley Tucci
• Brendan Fletcher
• Nathan Fillion

That’s a list that would make any studio exec drool, and honestly, one of the wildest things about the movie is seeing how many big names they managed to pile into what is, at its core, a pretty pulpy serial killer flick.

The (Very Low) Critical Bar

Here’s the catch: critics absolutely torched Night Hunter when it came out. If you’re going into this hoping for Silence of the Lambs or Seven, scale those expectations way, way back. The movie currently sits at a painful 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. That makes it one of the lowest points on Cavill’s filmography — only Hellraiser: Hellworld and The Cold Light of Day managed to score less.

Dennis Schwartz called the film a ‘waste of a stellar cast,’ but my favorite review comes from Wade Major, who basically summed up the general confusion about why so many A-listers ended up in something this B-grade:

Nostalgia Factor (But Don’t Expect a Masterpiece)

It’s obvious what Night Hunter is shooting for: a gritty throwback to the serial killer thrillers of the 90s, a messy stew of psycho-drama and cop-on-the-edge tropes. Is it a worthy heir to that tradition? Not really. But if you happen to miss that era of twisty, overwrought detective stories, it’ll absolutely scratch a certain itch.

What’s Next for Cavill?

If this all leaves you craving something a little more, let’s just say Cavill’s schedule is stacked. First up is another action flick, In the Grey, dropping May 15, where he leads a specialized rescue team on a mission to recover a fortune swiped by a villain. After that, he’s reteaming with Millie Bobby Brown for Enola Holmes 3, coming to Netflix July 1, which will hopefully deliver the fun and chemistry of the past entries (and none of Night Hunter’s accidental camp).

So, whether you’re a Cavill completionist, a sucker for 90s-style thrillers, or just morbidly curious what happens when you pile five great actors into one underwhelming script, Night Hunter is free for the watching. You might even call it a guilty pleasure. Or just guilty.