Hidden Gem - Hudson Hawk (1991)

Dismissed as a vanity project, Bruce Willis’ ode to self. A flamboyant waste of other people’s time and money. Criticisms seemed to be abundant, some of them pretty personal. Perhaps there was something of an anti-Wills sentiment abound at the time. He had written the screenplay and so took double flack for his efforts. For me, 1991’s Hudson Hawk has long been a favourite movie. Let me try to explain why.

For one thing, I had never heard of the film when I first saw it. I was completely oblivious to the prevailing sentiment toward the movie, and approached it with no prior notions whatsoever. I had stayed up after watching Cannonball Run 2 on a Saturday night. I was just working my way up to going to bed when it started, so I decided to give it five mins, and before I knew it i had been pulled into the world of Eddy Hawk -the world’s greatest cat burglar.

This film always seems to me to take place in a world that isn’t quite the one we live in. I mean, all films are unrealistic to a degree, but in Hudson Hawk it’s as though there is an open acknowledgement that we are looking through a tube into a cartoonish movie-world. It looks like a  fun place. Thieves use songs to synchronise timing, because watches apparently require too little skill. The CIA competes with the Vatican for control over the world, sending out armies of chocolate bar named agents and nuns to do battle in all quarters. Powerful independent parties, often playing one side off against the other in order to extract personal gain. Meanwhile, Eddy Hawk seeks a cappuccino on his first day out of prison, and gets caught up in the crossfire. 

It’s all fairly simple you see, Leonardo DaVinci made a machine that can turn lead into gold, and hid its components in some of his most famous works of art. Those who control the machine, control the supply of gold. The only trouble is these fine works of art are all locked away behind high security facilities around the world. Well, it would take a hell of a thief to steal them. Maybe the best thief there is.

If you are able to simply accept this premise, then what follows is one of the most enjoyable rides in movietown. If you can’t just accept it, then relax a little, maybe don’t take things so seriously. It’s only a movie after all. 

From about five minutes in to somewhere in the middle its just a continuous stream of events, escalating Eddy’s situation ever more out of control. I watch it for the millionth time and I still find myself getting caught up in how quickly things get away from him. You’re about halfway in when you finally get to take a breath as he sits down over dinner with Andie MacDowell, and take stock of what’s happened. It’s barely a minute you get to catch your breath before it’s off again. Thrilling is how I'd put it. Sure, it’s fantastic, and wild, and zany. It’s just that kind of film. But it’s also fun, so much fun. 

Bruce Willis displays the natural charm and humour that made John McClane the sort of likeable wise guy hero that everyone wanted to be. Eddy is basically the guy who John McClane would have been had he become a thief instead of a cop. His circle of friends and acquaintances all seem to share his sense of humour as well. Even the movie’s antagonists; James Coburn, Richard E Grant, Sandra Bernhard, seem to enjoy Eddy’s company. There is a friendly sort of atmosphere that permeates the film. A kind of casual assurance between all parties. It very much gives the movie a laid back feel that makes it so easy to watch. Also, yeah, that’s a pretty good cast.

Time and again, when I've come home from long arduous trips, or had a rough week at work, and this is the movie that I feel like bringing some familiar order and comfort to my evening. It’s surreal, and entertaining, it provides excitement and adventure, without the cynical negativity or sinister menace that’s so common in so many action movies. Always a joy to watch and enjoy. The adventure has never gotten old for me. If I can say that about a film I’ve seen a hundred or so times over the last 25 years, I really think that says everything that needs to be said about it.