Hudson Hawk (1991)

Bruce Willis's awful, 1991 vanity piece is an abuse of audience goodwill and a waste of a good cast and director (Michael Lehmann of Heathers). The story, cowritten by Willis, concerns a cat burglar pressured into stealing precious art, including some from the Vatican. But the script is just a convenience upon which Willis piles his vaguely boorish brand of hip irony, assuming his audience will stay with him every step of the way. Certain, self-congratulatory scenes induce cringing--Willis and Danny Aiello, for instance, sing "Side by Side" (to brassy accompaniment on the soundtrack) every time they're working a job--but the overall effect is more irritating and baffling. Keep a good thought for Willis (an underrated actor better than the summer junk we usually see him in) by checking out his superior work in Pulp Fiction and his small but memorable role in Billy Bathgate. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

I really don't remember this movie

but I was inspired by Jeff Bezos' review of The 13th Warrior to find all the movies I've seen over the years that have been indescribably dreadful. In fact, I am sure that the experience of watching it was just too excruciating and that I either walked out of the movie theater or threw my VHS player out the window in disgust. Hmm, which stinker will I look up next? June 25, 2008

Not as bad as you'd expect

"Hudson Hawk" is the story of a cat burglar, the Hudson Hawk (Bruce Willis), who has just been released from prison and is called on by just about everyone (his parole officer, the CIA, his best friend, and an eccentric pair of billionaires) to do one last job. The job involves stealing a horse sculpture made by Leonardo Da Vinci and this gets the Hawk involved in a conspiracy to destroy the world's economies by using a machine created by Da Vinci to turn lead into gold. At the time of its release, "Hudson Hawk" flopped severely, and even now, it still has a reputation for being one of the biggest turkeys of all time. However, at the risk of losing any credibility I might have as a reviewer, I actually like the film and when I saw this film for the first time at age 14, as far as I was concerned, this film was a classic.

I admit that "Hudson Hawk" is completely far-fetched and as an adult, I can now see the gaping plot holes. Among other things, this film features: a group of CIA agents who are all named after candy bars; a cat-burglar who sings old songs while pulling jobs; and Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhardt hamming it up as the villains. Yet, there are also a lot of things going in its favour. It is directed by Michael Lehmann and co-written by Daniel Waters, the team who gave the world "Heathers"; it features Bruce Willis before he started to lose his hair, when he was still young and sarcastic; and the far-fetched nature of the story does make it a lot of fun. Plus, the scene at the start of the film where Willis and Danny Aiello rob an auction house while singing "Swinging on a Star" is one of the most memorable scenes in cinema history.

To those people who still insist that "Hudson Hawk" is one of the worst films ever, I will leave you with this anecdote. On one occasion, when this film was shown on Australian television, the next day I passed several people at work and in the streets, all whistling "Swinging on a Star". How many films can you name that have that sort of effect on people? Switch off your brain and give this film a chance. You might actually enjoy it.
April 23, 2008

Classic funny

Danny Aiello, Sandra Bullock and early before NYPD or CSI Miami this movie stars David Caruso. Hell I still loved this movie. February 27, 2008

Interesting movie

I agree with some of the posters who state that people are taking this movie way too seriously. It is supposed to be lighthearted and entertaining. I think the critics and Amazon are way off base. Everyone expects a Bruce Willis movie to be another "Die Hard" especially back when this move came out. In fact, I think that Bruce Willis himself is way too hard on this movie if he did in fact say he regretted making it. I had never seen it until just a few days ago and came across it quite by accident on Youtube. I thought the clip looked interesting enough that i rented it, and I really got a lot of entertainment out of it. I have actually added it to my wish list. September 10, 2007

"BUNNY!! BALL, BALL!!!"

Hudson Hawk has cult movie written all over it. Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello have a blast making robberies while singing show tunes. It put me in the spirit of the movie and I enjoyed myself. Everybody in the cast overacts but that didn't bother me at all. This is the kind of movie that after years pass will be considered a cult classic. Check out Hudson Hawk if you want to have a good time. Because like all the best films, you have to suspend your belief in reality to make it work and this movie is fantasy on a whole new level.

Ok, I be real honest with you folks. This is one of the greatest movies ever... I am craving a cappuccino as I write this... Go and watch the film. In fact i'll watch it with you. And if you don't like it you can... what's that??? Speak up guy in the second row!!! Say it again! So ever one can hear you... Oh for god sake!! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT GET THE F#@K OUT!!! July 1, 2007

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