Action Comedy: The lost but not forgotten HUDSON HAWK

Posted by tjparsons on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 2:55am

 
  Hudson Hawk

TITLE: HUDSON HAWK
DATE: 1991
GENRE: Action Comedy
RUNNING TIME: Approx. 100 min
RATING: R
FORMAT: DVD
SCRIPT:(story) Bruce Willis & Robert Kraft ; (screenplay) Steven E. de Souza and Daniel Waters
DIRECTOR: Michael Lehmann
STARRING: Bruce Willis; Danny Aiello; Andie MacDowell; James Coburn; Sandra Bernhard; Don Harvey; David Caruso; Frank Stallone

 I remember this movie from long ago. The title I mean. That's about it. That and the song "Swinging on a Star". And the dreams of Sandra Bernharts lips chasing me down a hallway for years. Every now again its fun to dig up a classic film and watch it again for the first time. Hudson Hawk was this weapon of choice for a this one rainy night. From the very beginning with a cold opening of sorts, I had forgotten references to Leonardo di Vinci as well as the fact that this film was woven with weird fun humor. This film encapsulates the golden years when a smirking fun Bruce Willis roamed Hollywood, post Moonlighting but pre-Die hard, Die Harder, Die Hardest, and then just "Die". I am partial to the fun side of Bruce Willis, this movie in particular playing the likable criminal. Upon just being let out of an extensive prison term he is recruited, neigh ensnared in a global financial conspiracy involving the demise of Wall Street using Leonardo di Vinci's secret codes. Bruce playing his fun loving cat-burglar, ( cat burglar being a loose term since he tends to make more noise than a herd of buffalo and Indian elephants parading through a depression glass exhibit) has the quirk with his partner Tommy Five Tone played by Danny Aiello, of knowing and debating the exact length of classic big band and show tunes. Both professional criminals sing the happy go lucky tunes in unison being careful to choose the appropriate tune for the exact length of the heist. That's just the tip of the tongue in cheek.

Eccentric secret agents,
 conspiracies,
 love,
 nuns,
 the pope,
 action and adventure.

 I gotta tell you with a movie like this floating around in cinema-limbo it was just begging to be a part of my collection. Pick it up and watch it again for the first time.

This is TJPARSONS. I hope you enjoy the film.