Nighthawks (1981)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Bruce Malmuth

Writers:

David Shaber (story) and
Paul Sylbert (story) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Wulfgar, an international terrorist holds the City of New York hostage, but Deke DaSilva, the most dangerous cop known to man, can take him down.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Decoy | Bomb | Anti Terrorism | Foreign Diplomat

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva
Billy Dee Williams	...	Det. Sgt. Matthew Fox
Lindsay Wagner	...	Irene
Persis Khambatta	...	Shakka Holland
Nigel Davenport	...	Peter Hartman
Rutger Hauer	...	Wulfgar
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

Also Known As:

Night Hawks (USA)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | USA:R (certificate #26087) | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | West Germany:16 | Australia:R | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (1981) | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

174th Street IRT Subway Station, 900 East 174th Street, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Two lobby cards contain additional scenes not found in the theatrical release. The first involves an extended scene between Sylvester Stallone and Lindsay Wagner. The second involves a deleted scene with Rutger Hauer, Persis Khambatta and Charles Duval.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the bus Wulfgur is driving begins to accelerate, it would be impossible because the doors are open.

Quotes:

Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva: Why'd you kill the woman?
Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: I wanted to.
Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva: So why don't you kill me?
Reinhardt Heymar Wulfgar: In due time.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Shooting the Police: Cops on Film (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Brown Sugar

Timely Terrorist Movie

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.