Hudson Hawk (1991)

A cat burglar is forced to steal Da Vinci works of art for a world domination plot.

Director:

Michael Lehmann

Writers:

Bruce Willis (story), Robert Kraft (story)

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Hudson Hawk
Danny Aiello	...	Tommy Five-Tone
Andie MacDowell	...	Anna Baragli
James Coburn	...	George Kaplan
Richard E. Grant	...	Darwin Mayflower
Sandra Bernhard	...	Minerva Mayflower
Donald Burton	...	Alfred
Don Harvey	...	Snickers
David Caruso	...	Kit Kat
Andrew Bryniarski	...	Butterfinger
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Almond Joy
Burtt Harris	...	Gates
Frank Stallone	...	Cesar Mario
Carmine Zozzora	...	Antony Mario (as Carmine Zozorra)
Stefano Molinari	...	Leonardo da Vinci (as Stephano Molinari)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

time bomb | neo screwball comedy | worst picture razzie winner | prison | burglar | 

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Taglines:

Watch your step. Hold your breath. Hang on for dear life. And catch...the hawk.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

24 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Hudson Hawk

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$17,218,080

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Silver Pictures, Ace Bone

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

CDS (digital 35 mm prints) Dolby SR (analog 35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1980, a young musician-composer-songwriter by the name of Robert Kraft was performing with his group, the Ivory Coast, at a restaurant-nightclub in New York's Greenwich Village. In the midst of a musical number, Kraft found himself unexpectedly accompanied on harmonica by someone in the audience. The man with the harmonica turned out to be bartender and aspiring actor Bruce Willis. The two men became fast friends, and Willis would often turn out for Kraft's engagements, and join in the musical proceedings. Willis, who became intimately acquainted with Kraft's entire musical repertoire, was most taken with one song called "The Hudson Hawk." Kraft had come upon the concept one afternoon while walking the streets of New York. Kraft had read a newspaper article about a fierce wind that blew off Lake Michigan nicknamed "The Hawk," and as he wandered toward the west side of Manhattan, bracing himself against a wind corning from the direction of the Hudson River, he thought, "This must be the Hudson Hawk." When Kraft described the genesis of his song to Willis, the actor thought the music would be fitting as the theme for a classic movie character as well. Intrigued, Kraft offered Willis the opportunity to collaborate on the song by writing the lyrics. As those lyrics evolved, so did the characters of Eddie Hawkin's and his best friend and mentor - Tommy "Five-Tone" Messina. For many years, the song remained just that, with both men vowing that if either were ever in the position to produce a film, it would be about the world's greatest cat burglar. Several years, a hit television show, and Emmy and Golden Globe awards later, Willis indeed found himself in that position, and, true to his word, began developing "Hudson Hawk" with Kraft for the big screen. Needing the services of an experienced producer, Willis turned to Joel Silver, for whom the actor had starred in the smash hit Die Hard (1988) and Die Hard 2 (1990).

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Goofs

Actor Carmine Zozzora's name is misspelled "Zozorra" in the closing credits.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Long ago, the Duke of Milan commissioned a little known artist to erect a Mammoth statue of a horse. The time was 1481... The artist was Leonardo da Vinci... The guy on the donkey's just a guy on a donkey.

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Alternate Versions

Entire subplot of Eddie's dead pet monkey Little Eddie. Eddie puts a photo of the monkey on Kaplan's head and throws him off the castle; the photo is still visible in the final cut just as he goes over the cliff on the limo.

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Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: Richard in Stars Hollow (2002)

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Soundtracks

THE NAME GAME
Written by Lincoln Chase & Shirley Ellis

User Reviews

Campy Humor at its best!!

This movie was supposed to be a big blockbuster hit. but it ended up as almost the end to Bruce Willis's career. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. The whole world likes Willis's acting, action and the characters he portrays.

Although this movie was recently rated among the 10 worst movies of all time at MSN, I found it quite refreshing, interestingly funny and downright campy. I laugh every time I see the movie. how many movies can you say that about?

"Bunny! Ball Ball!" Just precious.

The storyline is as follows. A Dominatrix (Sandra Bernhard) and her megalomaniac husband (Richard E Grant) are setting in motion a plot to take over the world. Willis's character, Eddie Hawkins, is the only person who can stop them.

The plot is a classic and the laughs just keep coming. Complete with Andie McDowell as Hawkins's love interest, this movie is very entertaining.

What other movie has "the guy on the donkey" listed in its credits?

This movie rates a 7.9/10 from...

the Fiend :.