HUDSON HAWK (C) is likely an entirely different experience for me watching the film with the distance of 31 years and away from the context of the time. In 1991, Willis was a red hot superstar off the success of two Die Hard films and Hudson Hawk was advertised as an action/crime film. The film is actually a quirky comedy with a few heists that can double as action sequences if you squint enough. In other words, it's closer to something like Stallone's Oscar or Travolta's Get Shorty mixed with Looney Tunes and audiences were not ready for it. It bombed at the box office and won several Razzie Awards. It's not a good film, more like a poor film, but it's certainly not worst of the year or all-time type stuff either. Bruce Willis plays the "Hudson Hawk", a decent cat burglar, who winds up getting caught between lots of different parties (CIA, Vatican conspiracy groups, Mafia, Billionaire criminals, etc.) over getting valuable historical items that could help turn lead into gold (the items were supposedly one of Da Vinci's inventions). Willis, like the film's sense of humor is hit and miss, despite really trying to go for it here. Andie McDowell, on the other hand, is pretty miscast. The longer the film goes the campier it gets and by the end there's some full-on hijinx that just don't really work. Not worst of all-time, but kinda so bad it comes around to being somewhat enjoyable campy in the end.
Review of Hudson Hawk
