When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
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Anyway, now that I've ranted, I have to admit that I enjoyed it for the most part, with the exception of the initial pacing. It continues to drag in places towards the middle, and takes a little over an hour to set up the crucial players backgrounds. The only real problem is that every time the film stops to focus on DeSilva (Stallone) and Fox (Williams), it spends twice as much time focusing on Wulfgar. Wulfgar is certainly a well crafted maniac, but when the movie is over we know almost nothing about Fox and only a little about Dee DeSilva. Still, the movie does succeed in making you care about our two main characters, by thrusting them into danger and having them do what is morally right (i.e. Towards the beginning of the film the two are in a drug raid, and refuse to take bribes from the perps who had apparently already paid off the cops from the first raid on their operation.
They're good cops, and it's their good guy image that endears them). I guess it would have been nice also to see a little more of Stallones relation to what's her name. (sorry, I haven't seen this in a about a month now.) I was interested in the prospect of a hero who was torn between the relation with his ex (who he was trying to re-ignite the flame with), and his duty. But, alas, she was just a narrative device who the writers have decided is only important in the last 15 minutes or so.
With all these cons, why did I still like it? Sudden scenes of high impact, good cast and acting all around, a villain who wasn't just a cardboard cutout, and Stallone's bitchin' beard, and a wholly convincing scenario.
The bottom line: This film is more akin to The French Connection than it is to Rocky. Methodical and often stylish, NightHawks deserves to at least be rented and watched with an open mind.
8 Stars out of 10
Detective Sergeant Deke DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) and Detective Sergeant Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams) are part of NYPD's undercover Street Crime Unit. Their boss Lieutenant Munafo (Joe Spinell) later notifies them that DaSilva and Fox have been handpicked to join the newly-formed ATAC (Anti Terrorist Action Command) squad spearheaded by INTERPOL British Counter-terrorist specialist Peter Hartman (Nigel Davenport). Their primary task is to take down international terrorist Heymar Reinhardt, also known as Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer) who after bombing a department store in London, has managed to slip through the fingers of authorities and has made his way to New York City. Teaming up with a mysterious woman named Shakka (Persis Khambatta), Wulfgar continues his campaign of terror and vows to bring New York City to its knees and it's up to DaSilva and Fox to take him down.
Sylvester Stallone's career continued to climb following the success of the Academy Award winning Rocky (1976) and it's sequel Rocky II (1979). In Nightwawks, Stallone is excellent as Deke DaSilva who doesn't rely on brawn to get him by but also his brains. Stallone's character shows more of a sensitive side where he is less ruthless and trigger happy compared to many of his previous characters where he has played a policeman in movies such as Cobra (1986) and Tango & Cash (1989). Following a bloody confrontation, DaSilva rethinks his tactics and vows to match Wulfgar on even ground. Billy Dee Williams who is well known for his role as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), is perfectly paired up with Stallone as DaSilva's partner Fox who have been tasked to take down Wulfgar. Dutch actor Rutger Hauer made audiences sit up and take notice by putting in a chilling performance as international terrorist Wulfgar in his U.S. debut where he establishes himself as an actor well known for playing villains in such classics as Blade Runner (1982) and The Hitcher (1986). Director Bruce Malmuth makes his directorial debut with Nighthawks and here he has done a fine job bringing this gritty film to life on screen.
It's hard to believe that today the fear of terrorism is widespread given that the events of September 11 2001 changed the world forever. Nighthawks was certainly ahead of its time.
Though not a box office smash in 1981, it still netted positive reviews and acclaim, with Stallone earning his share of the praise but the standout was Rutger Hauer. Despite how dated it is, Nighthawks is still good viewing.
7/10.
Hauer is also perfect, playing what he does best, an oily villian. He might look very suave at first in this film, but when he shows his true colors, you better watch out. Last but not least is Billy Dee Williams, who does a cool Roger Murtaughesque cop who relies on his partner Sly to do the job.
If you're in the mood for suspense and good chase scenes, "Nighthawks" is your gameplan. Look out for the great conclusion. It might cause you a great deal of shock!
The action takes most of the film up, although it's not overdone too much, sometimes you do wonder if they could have run around for a bit less time. The script is the only thing that lets this down, with some of the events being a bit dubious. You do get the feeling from time to time that the scriptwriter wasn't quite sure how to chain some events so they seem a bit forced. But other ideas are kind of cute to make up for it.
Although it is full of cliches, this is not really a downside to the film, which seems to be shouting out that cliches aren't that bad. And being from the early eighties you could always argue that it was actually laying the ground for cliches to become such.
Acting is good, even from Sly, this really is the role he was born to play. He is the Rocky of the NY street undercover police. Hauer rocks in no small way, and Nigel Davenport shouts like no one (you'll see what I mean).
Watch and enjoy. That's all folks.
For Wulfgar dissembles his identity with several incognitos, thus making him a tougher target to capture.
NIGHTHAWKS is a well-mounted, well-paced thriller that puts the accent on suspense (with some bloodshed of course). NIGHTHAWKS is a neat powerhouse! The movie contains riveting chases, a spectacle for a final confrontation, and an aggressively structured formula throughout the entire film. There are lots of opportunities for combustible moments in this film as well.
What makes NIGHTHAWKS standout even greater and better than the ordinary action flick is its emphasis on characterization and morals. NIGHTHAWKS does a terrific interpretation of how fascinating and surreptitious the terrorist bad guy is compared to a troublesome criminal. Whereas the latter simply relies on survival and desperation in the derelict streets, the former is a very intelligent person with a respectively high I.Q. and an organized purpose. His mission is clear: to fight the oppressors who have destroyed his native land and people. The terrorist covers his tracks well and moves from location and location, making his presence less conspicuous. As for the heroic cops, Deke DaSilva (Stallone) manages to preserve ethics first when making a judgment before decisive action. He knows when to call out the shot. DaSilva refuses to jeopardize innocent lives just for the sake of shooting down the villain, and in most cases, he has earned a level of propriety. DaSilva's testament to moral values is also well demonstrated in NIGHTHAWKS.
Rutger Hauer gave a genuinely eerie and chilling performance as he portrays a very psychotic but also very convincing villain with a substantially bad attitude. Overall, NIGHTHAWKS is a high caliber action film. This "above and beyond the call of duty" type quality of motion picture is a consistently thorough and memorable film. This ranks among the finest cop dramas ever composed and for over a decade, this film's reputation and aura have managed to stand the test of time. NIGHTHAWKS is a recommended hit.
RATING: *** out of ****.
Did you know
- TriviaStories about on-set fights between Rutger Hauer and Sylvester Stallone are still talked about amongst fans of this movie and both actors. In his autobiography, Hauer stated that Stallone had come off a recent string of box office bombs, and was in desperate need of a hit movie. Hauer felt that many of the on-set clashes stemmed from Stallone's constant efforts to keep tight control over every aspect of the film's production (such as replacing original director Gary Nelson with Bruce Malmuth). However, Hauer also said during interviews in later years that he actually didn't take his arguments with Stallone personally, and that the biggest problem during filming was that it was a very difficult movie to make. From his part, Stallone has expressed deep regret over his behavior in the 1980s during a 2014 interview, stating that the success of Rocky (1976) had made him "insufferable"; by his own admission, he "abused power and was an authority on everything", and wished that he "could go back and punch myself in the face".
- GoofsWhen Fox is loading his rifle just before the confrontation at the bus, you can clearly see the crimped ends of the blank rounds he's loading.
- Quotes
Deke DaSilva: Lieutenant? I just got these latest transfer orders from the Captain.
Lt. Munafo: Yeah, don't sing me any operas. I'm not feeling well right now and I'm in a bad mood.
Deke DaSilva: I'm not gonna sing any operas. I'm talking about these transfer orders. Come on, Munafo. I've been working Decoy for nine years and now I'm pulled and I'd like to know why.
Lt. Munafo: Hey, don't start with me. It's Lieutenant. You don't know me well enough to call me Munafo. But I know you, DaSilva. The gung-ho Lone Ranger of the street crime unit. Well, you can forget about that because we've been asked to cooperate with a special federal/state unit, and we will. You and Fox have been assigned to an ATAC unit.
Matthew Fox: Come on! Terrorism is hijackers and hostages. That's FBI stuff. What the hell do they want with us?
Lt. Munafo: I don't know. Your service records may have something to do with it. How many times have you been hospitalized last year? Five? Well, consider this squad a vacation from Decoy.
Deke DaSilva: I don't need a vacation.
Lt. Munafo: Yes, you do. Now, they need someone who knows the local rat holes and you're nominated. Anything goes down, you're the man.
Deke DaSilva: You mind telling me where this came from?
Lt. Munafo: From the Commissioner, and he got it from Washington. They're sending a specialist from Europe... Interpol... to help organize it in conjunction with Federal funding. And this department will extend every courtesy. Do you understand?
Deke DaSilva: [grabs Munafo] No, I don't understand...
Lt. Munafo: Get your hands off me! Understand this, sucker! You're a cop and you'll go where you're assigned! Now, you and Tonto be here at eight o'clock tomorrow, sharp! End of story!
- Alternate versionsSPOILER: The theatrical release as well as all video, laserdisc, television, and DVD versions contain the altered ending where DaSilva shoots Wulfgar only twice, despite the fact that Wulfgar has six bullet wounds on his body.
- SoundtracksGetaway
Written by Billy Powell (uncredited), Dale Krantz (uncredited) and Barry Lee Harwood (uncredited)
Performed by The Rossington Collins Band (as Rossington Collins)
Courtesy of MCA Records
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Halcones de la noche
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,905,359
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,525,360
- Apr 12, 1981
- Gross worldwide
- $19,905,359
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1