Nighthawks

This always seems like the forgotten Stallone thriller. Made in the early 80’s, though displaying 70’s swagger, it holds up fairly well today thanks to its central plot of a terrorist bringing New York City to its knees. It came out just prior to FIRST BLOOD so Stallone is a long way from playing invincible super heroes and comes off more realistic in this one. His look suggests he’s going for a SERPICO vibe but everything else feels more in tune with DIRTY HARRY even though Stallone’s Deke Dasilva seems a bit more concerned with upholding rights than Harry Callahan ever did.

Aside from Stallone, the film’s main draw would be Rutger Hauer as Wulfgar. I forgot how cold blooded he was here. He’s not quite the psychotic he played in THE HITCHER, he’s more of a charming murderer in this one. The scene where Stallone first finds Hauer in a disco is full of tension as is the ensuing foot chase where Stallone and his partner (Billy Dee Williams) track their target through a subway station.

The movie ends in stellar fashion. I have a hard time picturing any of today’s leading men allowing a climax like that these days and there is no way Stallone would have done it in later years.

The primary way to watch NIGHTHAWKS in 2006 is with the use of a television. Thanks for your obsession though.

At times, especially when Stallone and Williams are walking their beat, it does come of like a 70's cop show in terms of budget. But once Hauer hits NY it looks about as polished as other thrillers from that era. Hauer's attacks aren't the kind that kill hundreds but they look impressive enough. If this had been made 10 years later I'm sure they would have had him doing stuff much more spectacular but then it wouldn't have seemed as believable.

I was thinking about the WANTED comparison as well. The attacks in that one were brutal but also not out of the realm of possibility as in NIGHTHAWKS. As much as I enjoy the ending to NIGHTHAWKS, Hauer pulling that pin in WANTED has it beat.

That director died not too long ago. It wasn't like losing Kubrick but he made some solid flicks.

For some reason I also thought Williams died and not Deke's superior. Probably because it's more conventional to have the partner get clipped in these movies. I do like Williams' quiet delivery of "You should have taken the shot" while being carted into the hospital after getting his face slashed.

Peckinpah was pretty much on fumes for OSTERMAN. Not that great. But if you're a Craig T. Nelson completist then give it a whirl.

It's one of those movies that if you see it before ever watching ALFREDO GARCIA or THE WILD BUNCH you could probably enjoy. It's better than CONVOY. I'll grant it that.

True enough. If you forget that you're watching a great director hock up his final film then OSTERMAN has its moments.

One thing I didn't like is how through most of the film Stallone and Williams wear their regular street clothes. Then out of nowhere their whole squad stars wearing these snazzy uniforms that say ATAC (Not sure what that stood for) on them. They even had a chopper with an ATAC logo on the side. That was out of place.

Turns out it stood for Anti-Terrorist Action Command.

Hauer was certainly a huge threat but I don't know if he was worth having to spring for all that monogrammed equipment, especially without an obligatory scene where Billy Dee Williams asks "Why do we have to wear this shit?"