Review of Hudson Hawk (1991) by Steve J — 10 Dec 2007

When people mention Hudson Hawk, they tend to lump it in with movies like Ishtar, Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Manos (The Hands of Fate). They say it's a terrible movie, which prevents a lot of people from ever taking the time to watch it. These people are missing out on something truly wonderful. Hudson Hawk is a great movie--it's just misunderstood.

At the time the movie was released, Bruce Willis was just settling into the role of Action Star. This caused most people to expect Hudson Hawk to be a lot like Die Hard, and the marketing didn't really discourage this. In reality, the movie is a comedic caper film. While the stunts and action scenes you expect from Bruce are there, they're more akin to the work of the Road Runner than John McClane.

In fact, Hudson Hawk is best viewed as a live-action cartoon. The laws of reality (especially gravity) are completely ignored in favor of comedy. The plot is ludicrous, twisted, and incredibly amusing. The characters and situations of the movie poke fun at action movies, caper movies, and even spy movies. Some of the characters would not look out of place in a Bond flick--the only difference is that Hudson Hawk makes them slightly more ridiculous and plays them for laughs. The cast is fantastic, with especially great performances by Willis, Sandra Bernhard, and James Coburn.

Other than the bad publicity, this movie's greatest shortcoming is it's target audience. The movie is rated R, primarily because of the standard Willis quantity of foul language. Some toning down would make it a movie children of all ages could enjoy. It's cartoonish, fantastic, and action packed style would probably have appealed to a younger audience with a more family-friendly rating.

If you enjoy action-packed fantasy movies like The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Ghostbusters, don't believe the hype. Give Hudson Hawk its day in court. You might enjoy it.