Nighthawks (1981)

Conservative street cop DaSilva reluctantly agrees to terminate an international terrorist who has demanded media attention. But DaSilva's "at-home" tactics are very much put to the challenge.

Director:

Bruce Malmuth

Writers:

David Shaber (screenplay), David Shaber (story),

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Deke DaSilva
Billy Dee Williams	...	Sgt. Matthew Fox
Lindsay Wagner	...	Irene
Persis Khambatta	...	Shakka Holland
Nigel Davenport	...	Peter Hartman
Rutger Hauer	...	Heymar 'Wulfgar' Reinhardt
Hilary Thompson	...	Pam (as Hilarie Thompson)
Joe Spinell	...	Lt. Munafo
Walter Mathews	...	Commissioner
E. Brian Dean	...	Sergeant
Caesar Cordova	...	Puerto Rican Proprietor
Charles Duval	...	Dr. Ghiselin
Tony Munafo	...	Big Mike
Howard Stein	...	Disco Manager
Tawn Christian	...	Disco Hostess

Storyline

Deke DaSilva and Matthew Fox are two New York cops who get transferred to an elite anti-terrorism squad. About this same time, an infamous international terrorist shows up in New York looking to cause some chaos. It's up to DaSilva and Fox to stop him, but will they be in time...?

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist | partner | anti terrorism | decoy | shooting | 

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Taglines:

One man can bring the world to its knees and only one man can stop him.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French Swedish

Release Date:

4 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Attack

Filming Locations:

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Martin Poll Productions, The Production Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, Sylvester Stallone did all his stunts on this movie.

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Goofs

During the subway sequence, the storm door on the last car of the train has a large single pane of glass in some scenes and two smaller panes in other scenes.

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Quotes

Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: I represent the oppressed, the powerless of the world. I am their voice. I am a liberator.
Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva: [Disbelieving] You think you're a liberator?
Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: [Smiles knowingly] It fascinates you. Yes, it does.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Pentathlon (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Getaway"
Performed by The Rossington Collins Band (as Rossington Collins)
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Promising beginning and a good ending but a weak, underdeveloped middle part.

The movie starts well and promising. Initionally the movie seems like a cool, simple, typical '80's action flick, with some well known actors in it. However as the movie progresses the pace is gone and the movie gets filled with underdeveloped plot lines and characters. Luckily the movie re-finds its pace toward the ending, which helps to make this movie still a watchable and good one, for the genre-fans.

I think that the main problem with this movie is that its too short. Because of this nothing in the movie really fully gets developed, such as Sylvester Stallone's character's relationship with his ex-wife or who exactly was Peter Hartman, who seemed like a good and interesting enough character but unfortunately was highly underused and developed in the movie. He walked around without a real purpose despite the fact that he could had been a so much more relevant and interesting character for the movie and its story. Also they could had made the whole hunt of DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) on Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer) so much more exciting, tense and spectacular. An hunter who hunts a hunter. Instead now their hate toward each other feels unfounded and perhaps even silly and unlikely at certain moments.

Yet the tree main characters of the movie are still quite good. The two cops played by Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams form a nice and credible duo and Rutger Hauer perfectly plays a villainous cold-hearted terrorist. Hollywood needs more villain actors like him, it would make so many movies so much better. Its definitely true that the presence of this tree fine actors uplift the movie and help to make this a still slightly above average one.

The whole plot line of a ruthless, professional terrorist causing mayhem in New York is quite original (at least for its period) and works refreshing and help to make this movie quite an original action-flick, although his motivations still remain a bit in the dark and shaky to find it all credible enough.

But of course the movie works well enough as mindless entertainment, though it perhaps could had used some more and bigger action sequences.

The movie has '80's written all over it. Movies from the '80's don't have the greatest visual style and also mostly always have some horrible '80's music. This movie is unfortunately no exception on this all.

All in all its not a bad action flick and it will most likely please the genre-fans, also thanks to the presence of '80's action icon Sylverst Stallone and villain expert actor Rutger Hauer.

6/10

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