Hudson Hawk [DVD]

The conventional wisdom on this 1991 film is that it was a colossal bomb which derailed Willis career. It got terrible reviews, true, and it flopped at the box office, but Ive never been convinced that Hudson Hawk was the awful stinker that its reputation would have you believe. The comedy in this film is certainly off-beat, at times silly, and its easy to understand how the style and tone of this film failed to appeal to film critics. Id agree that Hudson Hawk isnt for everyone. But theres also a slightly surreal, almost absurdist quality to this movie, lurking just behind the surface, and I think that if you accept that not everything in this movie makes literal sense-- or is even intended to make literal sense-- the experience of watching Hudson Hawk is a lot more fun. Relax, switch your brain out of literal mode, and enjoy this bizarre panoply of characters. Youll be glad that you did. The sardonic 90s wit of young Bruce Willis is amusing, and Andie MacDowell is a breath of fresh air. The candy bar gang is hilarious. Sandra Bernhard, in particular, is delicious in her role as the oversexed villainess. If you look at Hudson Hawk as a crime caper, yes, the ending will probably fall flat. If, instead, you look at it as an Alice-in-Wonderland quest for the perfect cup of cappuccino, you wont be disappointed.

If you are looking for something with deep meaning and full of personal revelation - WRONG MOVIE! If you are looking for abject silliness and actual giggle worthiness - then you have the right movie. Its silly, irreverent, satirical, and just plain fun. This is the movie you watch when you just plain had a lousy week and wanna forget for a little while. Granted, I have to be in a certain mindset to watch it - but it is definitely worth at least a look. Check it out and decide for yourself.

Sit down with popcorn and enjoy

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!

Family loved it

Interesting that the Box office Summaries do NOT include how much was taken world wide. I enjoyed this film when I first saw it, and enjoy it in the DVD format. The audio is very good, the Video quality is superb. The Amazon is, once again, far of the mark, and shows just how much the editors are out of touch with the fans of these films. Watch the film, give it a chance, and if you have even a cursory knowledge of what works in europe, then you are likely to enjoy it. Yes the story is convoluted, and yes it is a Bruce Willis Pet Project, but its fun, and most people who like it REALLY like it. And the directors commentary is very revealing. From the deliberate continuity gaffs, to the Three Stooges style elements that are included, you can have a fun time, and dont believe everything that the Director says; for example, he says that the use of the Tape rewound was copied from them in a later film, however, POLTERGEIST 3 uses exactly the same trick, and that was done before this was made. Some other points show a little bit of additional ignorance by the director, but on the exposition of the events surrounding the film, its all fun and games, and shows a lot of fun by all, and this fun is indeed very contagious. [Minor Point: IF you like the advertised cover shown above, do not expect to get it , since that snap is from the inside card on the US release, and it was earlier VHS releases that had the above cover, the DVD as at this date, has another shot. less appealing in my opinion, but still good .] ENJOY

Just as fun a movie today as I remembered watching it as a child. The blu-ray is a bit grainy, as you would expect, but still good quality even on 4k TVs.

I think the biggest problem with this movie is that people think theyre supposed to take it seriously. Ummmm, no. Its satirical comedy, not straight comedy. All the indignant people who pan this movie by saying its stupid are taking it way too seriously. Of course its stupid, its satire. (warning, some minor spoilers, but they dont matter much) I mean, the love interest is a nun, he mails himself to the Vatican, he spends the whole movie trying to get a cup of capuccino and his parole officer tries to get him to commit a crime. Think The Da Vinci Code meets Laurel and Hardy.

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.