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[tab title="Movie Review"]

Hudson Hawk

All Eddie “The Hawk” Hawkins wants, upon his release from prison, is a cappuccino.  What he gets instead is an unplanned - via coffin-sized suitcase - Looney Tunes-inspired trip to Italy to steal some of DaVinci’s most prized artifacts. 

"remains highly enjoyable and completely watchable, earning its way to the status of cult classic thanks to its airings on television and its unrelenting goofball charm"


 

Is it any wonder then that Europeans absolutely loved this film while it bombed and fizzled here in America?  In 1991, no one understood the need for expensive, tasty European coffees or, for that matter, duets while robbing museums. For my money (and I will die defending this strange and wonderful film), Hudson Hawk delivers in areas that other summer blockbusters never dare venture into.

Swinging back into action is every cult cinema’s favorite cat burglar.  Hudson Hawk, starring Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, and Sandra Bernhard, is arriving on blu-ray courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment and their cool VHS-retro packaging.  The comedy - mixing Airplane!-like antics with music and crime - was co-written by Willis and STILL makes for a fun Friday or Saturday night. You just have to approach the film with the right attitude.

. . . which to my experience with the film and its legacy means that no one did.  Ever. {googleads}

But when you get over yourself and relax into the manic hills and valleys of this madcap tale - which begins with Manhattan’s Eddie Hawk (Willis) getting released from his 10-year prison term and quickly getting contracted to steal THREE DaVinci artifacts for a bunch of crazed criminals and their little dog, too - there’s quite a bit of fun to be had.  

When it was originally released in May of 1991, Hudson Hawk quickly became one of that year’s films that EVERYBODY loved to throw shade at.  How could Willis do a film this idiotic? DaVinci could turn lead into gold? Oh my. And the singing! Come on, Willis, stop it with all the singing already.  From the slapstick to the duets, Hudson Hawk just rubbed people the wrong way . . . in America.  Across the pond, though, it was a hit.  Audiences ate up the humor and the cheese of it all.

Goofy and highly illogical, the film was dismissed by every critic stateside and bombed at the box office.  It came and went at the theater in my hometown in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I saw the film multiple times, confused that no one else saw the hilarity that I did.  Thanks to its rapid-fire editing and its general never-take-anything-serious stride, the film confused a lot of moviegoers at the time. That and the bad word-of-mouth simply killed any chance it had to make a splash stateside.  Hudson Hawk

Co-starring James Coburn, David Caruso, Lorraine Toussaint, Frank Stallone, Sandra Bernhard and Richard E. Grant, Hudson Hawk might be completely off its rocker, but it remains highly enjoyable and completely watchable, earning its way to the status of cult classic thanks to its airings on television and its unrelenting goofball charm.  This remains a darkly comedic film that needs to be, for once, experienced and NOT explained. After all, we have CIA agents named after chocolate bars, a very tonally-challenged adventure, and a production that was probably beyond troubled. How this film EVER wound up being released is beyond me, but I love it for its warts; its over-the-top villains; and its music.

Would you like to swing on a star?  Hudson Hawk will definitely take you there and back.  Previously known as the film that brought TriStar to its knees, Hudson Hawk can now be yours to own and rewatch again and again on blu-ray thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment.  

Catch the Excitement. Catch the Adventure. Catch the Hawk.

5/5 beers

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Hudson Hawk

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Mill Creek Entertainment
Available on Blu-ray
- February 20, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: None
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Previously known as the film that brought TriStar to its knees, Hudson Hawk can now be yours to own and rewatch again and again on blu-ray thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment.  Catch the Excitement. Catch the Adventure. Catch the Hawk.  Mill Creek Entertainment hasn’t done anything fancy with its HD handling of this film, but the 1080p upgrade is appreciated.  There are no supplemental items included with the release.  

Video:

The AVC MPEG-4 1080p offering is pretty solid. Colors pop off the screen in crisp arrays from start to finish. Blacks are a constant presence and are rich and inky, and perhaps a little crush seeps in, robbing some detail but it isn’t to a detrimental level. Skin tones can’t be referred to as natural, but they are detailed, holding their own in HD.

Audio:

Sound is presented in a decent DTS-HD Master Audio mix. Dialogue is crisp, centered and perfectly blended amongst sound chaos that will kick at times. 

Special Features:

  • None.

 

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 5/5 stars
  Video  3/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 0/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

3/5 stars

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[tab title="Film Details"]

Hudson Hawk

MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language.
Runtime:
110 mins
Director
: Michael Lehmann
Writer:
Steven E. de Souza and Daniel Waters
Cast:
Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell
Genre
: Action | Adventure | Comedy
Tagline:
Shy. Sensitive. Law-abiding. Polite. Repsectful. - I don't think so.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Oh. I guess I put too much ethyl chloride in it"
Theatrical Distributor:
TriStar Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
May 24, 1991
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
February 20, 2020.
Synopsis: A cat burglar is forced to steal Da Vinci works of art for a world domination plot.

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[tab title="Art"]

Hudson Hawk

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