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Nighthawks (1981)

 -  Action | Crime | Thriller  -  4 April 1981 (USA)
6.3
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Ratings: 6.3/10 from 8,860 users  
Reviews: 96 user | 28 critic

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.

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(screenplay), (story), 1 more credit »
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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Sgt. Matthew Fox
...
Irene
...
...
Peter Hartman
...
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
Edit

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...? Written by Afterburner <aburner@erols.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A terrorist holds New York in a grip of fear - and only Stallone can take him on. See more »

Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

| | |

Release Date:

4 April 1981 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Attack  »

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The story was originally planned as The French Connection III by screenwriter David Shaber at Twentieth Century Fox, and would have seen Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle team up with a wisecracking cop, to be possibly played by Richard Pryor. The main plot was the same but when Hackman showed reluctance to do a third movie as Doyle the idea was scrapped and Universal acquired the rights to the storyline, which Saber then reworked into Nighthawks. See more »

Goofs

When the bus Wulfgar is driving begins to accelerate, it would be impossible because the doors are open. See more »

Quotes

Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: You know, I never asked you what you do for a living.
Pam: Well... besides dancing a lot, I fly Pan Am from coast to coast. I'm Pam, flying ace. That's actually a slight airline joke. I don't really fly the planes. I'm just a stewardess. I flying waitress as they call it. How about you?
Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: Me?
Pam: Yes. What do you do for a living?
Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: [sarcastic tone] I'm an international terrorist wanted by the police in half the countries in Europe. And I am currently laying low for the moment.
Pam: Oh, sure!
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The New York Ripper (1982) See more »

Soundtracks

"Opportunity"
Performed by The Rossington Collins Band (as Rossington Collins)
Courtesy of MCA Records
See more »

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User Reviews

Timely Terrorist Movie
29 May 2001 | by (Midnight Movie Land) – See all my reviews

It was 1981 and the world had just gone through a decade of terrorism. Casting Rutger Hauer and Persis Khambatta (she was the bald woman in the original Star Trek movie) as heartlessly cold terrorists was great casting! Billy Dee Williams and Stallone as street cops suddenly transferred to a terrorist unit do a good job. Stallone had not become a parody of himself yet and his diction is better here than it had ever been up to then. The movie's pace is unrelenting. This is a movie that I almost always have to stop and watch, easily getting swiped up into the story again and again, when I see it on television. Excellent twist ending and monorail scene. Recommended highly.


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