Bloodtype Online

     From the grand old year of 1991 comes the new Collector's Edition DVD of the Bruce Willis vehicle "Hudson Hawk". Actually written by Willis and friend Robert Kraft, the film is helmed by director Michael Lehmann ("Heathers" and "Airheads"). The film also stars Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn, Richard E. Grant, and Sandra Bernhard. The new DVD release features some new special features, commentaries, and other bonuses that the original "bare bones" DVD was lacking.

     The story begins with world renowned cat burglar Eddie "Hudson Hawk" Hawkins (Willis) being released from a recent stint in prison. His best friend Tommy Five-Tone (Aiello) is there to pick him up from "the big house" and all Eddie wants is a nice warm cappuccino. That soothing cup of Jove tends to keep avoiding Eddie which becomes an underlying joke throughout the film. About to take his first sip since leaving jail, Eddie's cup is shot right out of his hand! It turns out that not even a day from being released Eddie is being blackmailed by mobsters to steal a valuable wooden horse. Reluctant to do the job, Tommy talks Eddie into it, promising him that it's one last job and they have no other choice. Soon after retrieving the horse, Eddie discovers that he is in the middle of a worldwide plot involving a number of characters from various organizations. He soon meets the Mayflowers (Grant and Bernhard) who are an eccentric millionaire couple, in need of some of the classic works of Leonardo Da Vinci, to fulfill their plot of world domination. Again, since Hudson Hawk is the world's greatest cat burglar, he is summoned by the Mayflowers to collect their precious loot. If he refuses, they say they will kill Tommy. The plot soon develops into a mad cap chase as "The Hawk" is pursued by not only the Mayflowers but the CIA (operatives using candy as code names including Butterfinger, Almond Joy, Kit-Kat, and Snickers) and the Vatican. Andie MacDowell portrays a schizophrenic nun who is undercover for the Vatican and soon becomes Hudson Hawk's love interest. The remainder of the story follows Hawk's quest to steal the Da Vinci work, fall in love with a nun, save Tommy's life, outwit the CIA, and ultimately foil the Mayflowers plans.

     This film was said to be a vanity project for Bruce Willis. This means it was his idea, he got his friends to be in it, and he had pretty much all creative control. This was all bestowed upon him from producer Joel Silver, who probably figured the film was in good hands as Willis was coming of the success of the first two "Die Hards". At the time of its release "Hudson Hawk" was bashed by critics and did very poor at the box office. Even as an avid film goer, I did not see this film since reviewing it right now for Bloodtype. I must say that, although this film is very far from flawless, I don't know if all of the negative backlash it received in the past is very warranted. The movie is over the top, silly, and even stupid a lot of the time, but that is because it is supposed to be. I didn't take this movie seriously from the opening credits, which is probably what made it bearable for me. The plot is downright ridiculous, but the characters make up for this huge shortcoming. From Willis as a Cappuccino craving cat burglar, Aiello as his goofy sidekick, MacDowell as a crazy nun, Coburn as hardened CIA agent, and Bernhard and Grant as the obscene Mayflowers, the characters that are displayed throughout "Hudson Hawk" are quite entertaining. The characters and portrayals from the actors made this movie more enjoyable than it could (and probably should) have been.

     In conclusion, "Hudson Hawk" isn't the worst film ever made but is also not anywhere near the best. As much of a cop out as that sentence may seem from someone who reviews films, it describes this particular film pretty well in my opinion. It is your average American "popcorn-style" flick that has a bunch of positive elements (characters, originality, fun) and also a fair amount of negative ones (a goofy plot, awkward scenes, some bad acting). I would say that if you have the time and see "Hudson Hawk" on your cable box, can borrow it from a friend, or rent it for a low price, then go ahead and give it a watch. It's not the worst hour and a half you'll ever spend.

Rating - **

Jared Bajoras