So Bad it’s Good
#12 : Hudson Hawk (1991)

Guilty Pleasures that we enjoyed – even though we don’t quite know why.

Movie title: Hudson Hawk
Released: 1991
Starring: Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie McDowell, Richard E Grant, Sandra Bernhard
Directed by: Michael Lehmann

What is it? We all know Bruce Willis as an action man, but he has courted comedy a number of times throughout his career. Some of these comedies have been successful (“Look Who’s Talking”, “The Whole Nine Yards”), some not so (“Look Who’s Talking Too”, “The Whole Ten Yards”). “Hudson Hawk” falls into the latter category. Only that’s too kind; it’s one of the worst reviewed films in history, copping a pasting from critics upon its release and often ending up on the dreaded ‘Worst Ever’ lists. Part of the problem is no doubt its frivolous story, which sees a master thief, Eddie ‘Hudson’ Hawk (Willis) released from prison, only to find himself blackmailed into stealing a priceless piece of art by a crazy billionaire couple. Oh, and it has another notorious claim to fame – a balance sheet that shows a $65 million outlay and just over $17 million in domestic US box office takings. Ouch.

What’s wrong with it? For one thing, it just can’t settle on a tone. It’s ostensibly a comedy, but it also crams in thriller, romantic comedy, drama and even musical elements (Willis and Aiello commit robbery to ‘Swinging on a Star’ and ‘Side by Side’). It is possible to cross comedy with other genres gracefully – “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” is perhaps the best example – but “Hudson Hawk” is a pig’s breakfast, chopping and changing to suit the screenwriters’ whims. (Four people, including Willis and “Commando” scribe Steven E. de Souza, helped develop the story).

No doubt the physical gags played a large part in its sour critical reception. A paralysed Andie McDowell being carried away like a rag doll, a mean little dog chasing its ball out of a high window, James Coburn kicking Willis back and forth like a spring-mounted punching bag, Willis coughing up chicken feathers – it’s like parts of “Airplane!” have been stitched into an otherwise regulation comedy.

Then there’s the preposterous final twist – a ‘shock ending’ so implausible the screenwriters felt compelled to point it out in the dialogue (“Can you fucking believe it?!”).

What’s right about it? Taken individually, these piecemeal elements work well. In fact the movie, while haphazard, has some downright memorable moments. There’s Eddie’s desperate and frustrating pursuit of a cappuccino. There’s Sandra Bernhard sitting on a table, wearing a Walkman and singing in an off-key voice to ‘The Power’. I laughed till I could hardly breathe when Aiello snapped back at Willis, “Don’t worry smart-ass, I’m wearing my girdle!” And while Andie McDowell went on to make several more successful movies before her career went belly-up, it’s for this role – as a conflicted nun with a crush on Eddie – that I best remember her.

Why is it so bad it’s good? You know what? Sometimes it’s fun to break the rules. Critics take themselves and their reviews so goddamned seriously all the time. Why can’t a film exist just to be silly and nothing else? “Hudson Hawk”’s carefree attitude is an antidote to every po-faced journalist or picky-arse goof-finder who ever tried to sap the fun out of a movie. Watch it and forget your troubles for a while.

- KRIS ASHTON

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Roadhouse
Arthur 2 : On The Rocks
National Lampoon's Class Reunion
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Doc Hollywood
Kickboxer II : The Road Back
Highlander III : The Final Dimension
Blown Away