Nightwing (1979)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Steve Shagan (screenplay) &
Bud Shrake (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

In the dead of night they come - Swift - Silent - Savage

Plot:

Killer bats plague an Indian reservation in New Mexico.

Plot Keywords:

Bat | Plague | Vampire Bat | Rabies | Cave

Cast

Nick Mancuso	...	Youngman Duran
David Warner	...	Phillip Payne
Kathryn Harrold	...	Anne Dillon
Stephen Macht	...	Walker Chee
Strother Martin	...	Selwyn
George Clutesi	...	Abner Tasupi
Ben Piazza	...	Roger Piggott
Donald Hotton	...	John Franklin
Charles Hallahan	...	Henry
Judith Novgrod	...	Judy
Alice Hirson	...	Claire Franklin
Pat Corley	...	Vet
Charlie L. Bird	...	Beejay
Danny Zapien	...	Joe Mamoa
Peter Prouse	...	Doctor

Runtime:

105 min | Belgium:99 min (video)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1980) | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Polyc International BV

Quotes:

Phillip Payne: You're not buying this superstition are you?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Terror in the Aisles (1984)

Soundtrack:

Lucille

Pretty good by 1979 standards and if you're a Nick Mancuso fan as am I.

I rented this movie because the Martin Cruz Smith book had recently come my way and I found it quite good. The movie is not unfaithful to the book, though it does suffer in comparison in the strength of the characterizations - in the book we learn why Youngman Duran, Mancuso's character, is so tortured which, of course, makes his ordeal much more significant and meaningful. I'm writing mainly to defend David Warner whom another reviewer characterized as as "bad actor". Warner is a terrific character actor who can presently be heard doing a rich villiany voice on the Saturday morning "Men in Black" cartoon (which is better than the movie, in my opinion). It seems Americans have trouble with classically trained English actors whose diction and style may seem too broad if your only frame of reference is Brad Pitt. Recently went to "Peeping Tom" and sat next to a group of teenagers who laughed all the way through, completely oblivious to the historical context of the film and its quality. So "Nightwing" is pretty good - good character acting (also love Strother Martin), lovely cinematography, nice Mancini score. Blood and gore special effects quite restrained a la 1979 technology, so if that's your thing this isn't your movie.