robertsquentin When one thinks of Sylvester Stallone they think of Rambo or Rocky or one of his many other action avatars but this film Night Hawks is where he gives one of his most underrated performances. He plays a conservative cop trying to catch an international terrorist in his city. Rutger Hauer is another actor who is better known in films like Blade Runner but he is absolutely sublime here as the bad guy. The pacing is good and the film has that raw gritty look of early 80s. If you haven't already then you should check out Night Hawks.

zkonedog After the first couple of "Rocky" films, Sylvester Stallone tried to branch out a bit with films like this one, where he plays a character (both physically and dramatically) that couldn't be more different from the inspired pugilist. Now we know why Rocky continued for four more installments.For a basic plot summary, "Nighthawks" tells the story of two cops (played by Stallone & Billy Dee Williams) trying to apprehend the international terrorist Wolfgar (Rutger Hauer) on the streets of New York.Basically, there really isn't anything in this movie to get excited about whatsoever. The acting is sub-par, as Stallone's character is one-dimensional, which unfortunately is one more dimension than the one played by Williams. Wulfgar is no one to fear, and the viewer is never pulled into the "good guy, bad guy" drama.The plot staggers along at a glacial pace, with only an interesting beginning and ending scene to provide any "wow" moments at all. Other than that, it is roughly 90 minutes of boredom set in the early 1980s.I usually like to dissect the films I review here a bit more than this, but with "Nighthawks" there really just isn't anything to dissect. Stallone tried to distance himself from Rocky, and (at least in this case) failed miserably. That is all you need to know.

Predrag "Night Hawks" is an uncompromising, slam-bang action thriller about a couple of street-wise New York cops called Deke DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) and Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams) who are assigned to a special anti-terrorism unit. The main man they are after is a ruthless international terrorist called Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer) who is now believed to be in New York City, after undergoing plastic surgery. That's the first problem that DaSilva and Fox are up against - they don't even know what Wulfgar really looks like now! There are some terrific action scenes in this movie such as the thrilling chase sequence on the New York subway and a nail-biting sequence when Wulfgar and his female partner-in-crime, Shakka, hi- jack a cable car full of VIPs. The excellent cast also includes Joe Spinell as DaSilva's harassed boss, Nigel Davenport as an anti- terrorism expert, and the original bionic woman, Lyndsay Wagner, as Mrs. DaSilva.The acting is also worth mentioning here as well. Stallone himself, leads the cast very well throughout, doing an all around excellent portrayal of main protagonist and NYC cop Deke DaSilva, giving in my opinion one of his absolute best and most underrated performances ever. He really makes DaSilva a very tough, and gritty NYC cop who also has principles and morals, and stays true to who he is, and he goes after crime so intensely and fiercely especially during his pursuit of Wulfgar, and the animosity between those two characters is what really drives the film forward, and that electrifying, psychological edge that they both work off of each other just makes it so compelling. You also got Billy Dee Williams who plays DaSilva's partner Sergeant Matthew Fox who also does an excellent job holding his own throughout the film, and he can be a solid, and very serious cop when business picks up, but he also can be light hearted at certain moments as well. We also have Lindsay Wagner who plays Deke's ex-wife Irene, and of course Persis Khambatta playing Wulfgar's associate Shakka Holland, and also Nigel Davenport is also solid as the British Interpol agent Peter Hartman as well.Rutger Hauer meanwhile, really steals the show here with his cool, yet very chilling performance as Wulfgar. He brings such a nice, cold, and calculating sophistication to this international terrorist who is a firm believer in what he's doing, and what makes Wulfgar more immensely dangerous is that he's not just a random hired gun who does it for money, but he believes in the causes that he's fighting for. There's no question whatsoever that he really has that intensely dangerous, and psychological mind-game that he has going on throughout the film when he get entangled with DaSilva, it suddenly turns into a cat-and- mouse game of wits between the two, and the tension and suspense just builds throughout.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Scott LeBrun Top notch action thriller gives Sylvester Stallone one of his better roles, as Deke DaSilva, a tough street cop pulled off of "decoy" work, along with his partner Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams). His superiors reassign him to a special anti-terrorism unit that's on the trail of Heymar "Wulfgar" Reinhardt (Rutger Hauer, in a smashing American debut). Wulfgar is a ruthless terrorist-for-hire rendered persona non grata with revolutionary communities after some incidents in London. So he comes to NYC, and announces his presence in a big way, to ensure the terrorists of the world that he's still employable.This is a well directed, exciting movie that manages to grab you early on, and hardly ever lets up until a clever finish. It features some very tense sequences like the one on a tram suspended high above the East River, and benefits a lot from having such a creditable hero (Sly delivers an effectively low key performance) and loathsome yet charismatic villain. Praise is also due to the supporting cast: the likable Williams, the appealing (but under utilized) Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta as our villains' deadly associate, Nigel Davenport as a smooth anti-terrorism expert, Hilary Thompson as unfortunate, ill fated stewardess Pam, and the great character actor Joe Spinell as Stallones' superior. Porn star Jamie Gillis plays a designer; Catherine Mary Stewart has a bit as a salesgirl.Further enlivened by Keith Emersons' dynamic music score (he also performs a funky cover of "I'm a Man" for the pivotal nightclub sequence), "Nighthawks" can also boast a solid climactic chase. It's extremely well shot on various locations in NYC, London, and Paris. It's violent but never overtly gory, and does have an appreciable sense of humor at times.The eyeglasses & beard look that Sly sports here is definitely unusual, but it works for him.Eight out of 10.