Hudson Hawk [DVD]

Very disappointed that adult language is censored and dubbed over and is not advertised as such. This movie is a classic and the bantering dialog makes the script. Five stars given for the movie but no stars given for the revised children’s version...

This is one of those movies. You either love it or hate it. I heard bad things about it and wasnt expecting much when I first saw it years ago. I bought the DVD years ago and just bought the Amazon stream for my iPad. I love this movie, not for everyone but it fits my sense of humor so 5 stars from me.

The movie actually starts off pretty well and I must confess to be slightly surprised with Willis’s comedic capability. Then the plot begins to mold into something completely ridiculous. I suppose if one doesn’t take the plot that seriously, they would enjoy it but it was too ridiculous for my liking.

So what Im seeing here is this: the professional critics hated this movie-- berated and slandered it to the masses and to this day chuckle at its mere mention. It is categorically rated as one of the worst movies of all times. But the actual PEOPLE who watch it? They LOVE it! I used to watch this over and over again on VHS, back when it first came out. That was years ago, but I can still remember every scene. The music was terrific, the style was incredible... this was a classic, and it got reamed. Why? Because the critics are paid to look at a movie, determine whether it fits the formula and bash or praise it. I think that Bruce Willis himself summed it up best. When faced with the overwhelming criticism of the film, he replied, Hey, Ive made enough money that I could sit by a lake and skip rocks for the rest of my life and still be happy. As for me, Hudson Hawk was one of the biggest influences on my own writing. Great job, Bruce! You have a fan for life.

Great movie. I loved it when it first came out. Thus I thought it might be good for a family movie. My son laughed the entire time.

Bruce Willis may be mdisappointed by this movie, but our family isn’t. I grew up with this being a super fun movie, bought it as an adult, and still enjoy it. Not for kids, but high school age and up should have fun with the adventure and nonsensical action. Don’t expect ‘Die Hard’, but expect a fun and entertaining movie.

Good Action, Good Comedy and Good Story. One of Bruce Willis First Films outside of TVseries “MoonLighting”

Sit down with popcorn and enjoy

Forget Southland Tales, this movie is a real doozy. If theres a term that defines beyond over-the-top, it would be Hudson Hawk. Theres no way to explain just how bat-scat crazy this movie really is, other than saying its outrageous balderdash. I didnt know what to expect from this, other than the fact that it got panned by critics. I can understand why: its not that it was sold to be one thing but its really something else, this movie was sold to be one thing but it turned out to be too much of everything. That thought can put anyone in a weird position. The bizarreness began when the movie started in a book form, telling about Leonard da Vinci making a conversion device that can turn lead into gold. Jump to the present day (circa 1990), it has the titular character (Willis) bailing out of prison and being escorted by his pal Tommy (Danny Aiello), only to be later greeted by a mob and forced him to steal a statue from a museum. After the heist (while he and Tommy sing, no less), the movie started becoming hazy once an English butler killed a mob boss and broke the statue to find a princess artifact. Later, the same statue was returned to the museum without Hawks knowledge, so when he got there to check it out, there was a sudden sabotage by rich moguls, then he got chased by the mob in an ambulance before hes confronted by another rich mogul and his thugs named after brand-name chocolate bars. Hawk got sent to Rome to work for one faction, then on another faction, only to support a completely different faction with Andie MacDowells character, and from what I can gather, there was an evil plan to use Vincis conversion device and things blow up. In many ways, the plot of the unwilling protagonist getting involved in multiple groups without any real understanding reminds me of the Coens bowling strike, The Big Lebowski. While this is an earlier film compared to the film about a shomer shabbos guy beating up a guys car, The Big Lebowski did keep the clustered plot and its humor subdued. This movie doesnt know how to be subtle, it just goes on the loony path without taking a break. Its completely random at how scenes were set up so Hudson Hawk can be where he has to go and make witty retorts along the way. Nothing about this movie is realistic, almost every slapstick moment includes a Looney Tunes sound effect and multiple cartoon-based gags. Its rather unorthodox that such a zany movie can be so violent and vulgar; characters were cursing and getting sliced, the mood of this movie was all over the place. Does this movie had any idea what to do with a lot of elements it had? It tried to do so much and so fast that the insanity got a bit unnerving. For being such an outrageous movie, Hudson Hawk does maintain this kind of eccentricity for the entire runtime. At least it has the right cast to go with the zaniness, and the zaniness is consistent; just about the entire cast are simply out of their mind, even the one-dimensional love-interest like MacDowell (eventually) becomes as loony as the rest. Its a total mess, but it is a unique mess. There has never been another action-adventure, romantic-comedy, historical, musical, gangster, surreal, product placement movie quite like this. Its an achievement to say the least.

Why do so many people seem to expect every movie that comes out to be some sort of artistic triumph? Cant they just enjoy a movie for what it was intended to be, i.e.: just plain fun? I seriously doubt the producers of this film ever had any intentions of it being an Oscar-winner in ANY catagory. They simply wanted to make a movie that people could sit back and relax, let go, and just laugh at. Okay, so the artsy-fartsy crowd doesnt like it. Thats fine, cause I dont like them, either. Pretentious, self-serving, hideously obscure, and mind-numbingly boring this movie is NOT, but that seems to be what the critics consider a good motion picture. Sorry, folks, but I enjoy being entertained, not educated all the time. Sometimes you just want to read a comic book, not a great classic novel. Sometimes you want to watch Bugs Bunny cartoons, not 60 Minutes. Sometimes you want to watch a movie for fun, not to be elevated. THAT is what Hudson Hawk is all about!