Hudson Hawk
Directed by Michael Lehmann
- action
- adventure
- comedy
The story
Eddie Hawkins, called Hudson Hawk has just been released from ten years of prison and is planning to spend the rest of his life honestly. But then the crazy Mayflower couple blackmail him to steal some of the works of Leonardo da Vinci. If he refuses, they threaten to kill his friend Tommy.
What it’s like
Bright, bouncing Roman daylight, sunlit piazzas, gilded Renaissance interiors and the cool gleam of stolen masterpieces, all shot with a cartoonish, mock-operatic energy that keeps undercutting itself with sound effects, pratfalls and deadpan asides. The mood is breezy, anarchic and self-consciously silly, a heist caper that plays like a live-action Looney Tunes short with a jaunty, brass-heavy score pushing each scene along at speed. Pacing is rapid and scattered, with set-piece chases and gadget-driven capers sitting alongside slower, goofier stretches. The lead is a reluctant ex-convict who wants to stay out of trouble, so the emotional register stays light, with a loose affection between him and his loyal sidekick rather than any real heartache. Violence is mostly cartoonish, with slapstick falls, explosions and fights played for laughs; there's some peril and a few sharper moments, but no real gore and little sexual content. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon or a playful comfort watch for people who enjoy absurd, high-energy comedy and don't mind a film that's happy to be ridiculous.
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