Hudson Hawk [DVD]

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.

Mosty I see Bruce in action movies and a lot of my friends watched Hudson Hawk and told me that this movie has it all and its the best. The action is put in a way that makes you laugh throughout the entire movie and Bruces acting is very hilarious that you think hes a natural born comedian. Hudson Hawk had some pretty great reviews and everyone just adored him since this time he made them laugh in his own charming way. GUESS YOUR CHARM WORKED AGAIN, MR. HAWK!!!

Another welcome edition to the retro VHS Mill Creek series - sturdy cardboard sleeve (itll fit nicely in your bluray library) that perfectly replicates a well worn VHS tape. Good sound and HD picture. Optional English subtitles. Great price, too. Years ago, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars signed on to play the lead role in an adventure that found him running all over Europe seeking various items hidden in the work of Leonardo da Vinci, all while trying not to be murdered by members of a diabolical secret society. That scenario didn’t work out quite as well for Bruce Willis, however, as it later would for Tom Hanks. Hudson Hawk was one of the most notorious flops of the ’90s, still a bad-movie punchline over two decades later. And Willis, frankly, shoulders a lot of the blame—not just because he helped think up the crazy story, but because this movie arguably caught him at peak smugness, lazily coasting on his wised-up smirk. This was the Return of Bruno, Planet Hollywood, Demi Moore era. He belts out a few tunes, one a duet with Danny Aiello (the pizza parlor proprietor in Do the Right Thing). Also on board: the late, great James Coburn and pre - NYPD Blue/ CSI David Caruso. Not to rest on laurels, Frank Stallone co-stars. Thats entertainment! Hudson Hawk (like Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and Roadhouse) demands to be seen, if only because it goes places few studio star vehicles have ever dared. The screenplay is credited to Steven E. DeSouza, who penned the first two Die Hard films, and Daniel Waters, best known for writing the black comedy Heathers (directed, like Hudson Hawk, by Michael Lehmann). As that odd combination would suggest, it plays like the most extreme parody of an action movie imaginable, with every element cranked up to 11. Heist sequences are shot as goofy musical numbers. Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhard (The King of Comedy), as the crazed villains, engage in a film-long contest to determine who can go further over the top, with. Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day) impersonates a dolphin at length. It’s the kind of film viewers watch with mouth agape, unable to believe that hundreds of professionals spent months (and millions) working to make it. And taken in the right mood, a lot of it is genuinely pretty funny. Anyone can throw the hero out of an ambulance and have him barrel down the highway on a gurney, but it takes a cherishably warped sensibility to have him catch another driver’s discarded cigarette butt, take a puff, and then complain that it’s menthol.

One of my favorite movies of all time and also eminently quotable. Great appearances by Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhard who bring psychotic to a whole new level. Also nice early appearances of David Caruso and Lorraine Toussaint. This movie was hamstrung by poor marketing, but it would have been hard to market. It is a cross between a spoof, a farce, and avant garde surrealism, and if viewed through that lens (not as, say, a straight up action or action-comedy), it should be well respected.

One of those classic chessy movies that I always watched on cable in the 90s. Saw it again today and its still a fun film. Blu ray wise, its very bare bones. No commentary, special features, digital code or regular dvd. Plus amazon is very arrogant about the fact that dvds are collectables, so expect the slipcover to be damaged. Transfer is likely from the dvd source just upscaled. No restoring. Still lots of grain and dirt but a definite improvement over a standard dvd. Something I dont mind because it matches the look of the period without looking overly cleaned up and digital. The sound is crystal clear though. Despite how bare bones it is its nice to finally own an hd version of a classic flick.

A hidden gem in his fantastic career.

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.

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 a very silly movie but its interesting - funny - has some silly stunts but a great movie to kill an evening.

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.