Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Tweekums Deke DaSilva and Matthew Fox are a pair of cops who walk the mean streets of New York as part of a decoy operation until they find themselves seconded to a new anti-terror unit that is looking for international terrorist Heymar 'Wulfgar' Reinhardt who is believed to be in the city after an atrocity in London left him hunted by his former backers, who think he went too far and damaged their cause, as well as law enforcement agencies who want him for a string of attacks across Europe. It isn't long before he strikes in New York and DaSilva and Fox are soon on his tail. Their first encounter ends with Wulfgar escaping and Fox injured. It is believed that Wulfgar is planning to attack delegates at the United Nation and sure enough he takes several of them hostage; it will be up to DaSilva to end Wulfgar's reign of terror.This is a rather underrated Sylvester Stallone thriller that seems even more relevant than when it was first released thanks, unfortunately, to the rise in the fear of terrorism. The film has a gritty look that immediately made me think of the 'Dirty Harry' films. Stallone is on good form as DaSilva; this is a believable character rather the over-the-top characters he played in many of his films… the opening scene where he arrests a street criminal while wearing a dress is priceless. Billy Dee Williams is solid as Fox and Rutger Hauer impresses as Wulfgar. Wulfgar is a genuinely unpleasant villain who kills without remorse. There are plenty of tense moments, including a chase on the New York Subway, explosions and several shootings. Overall I'd definitely recommend this less well known Stallone film to fans of the genre.

Michael_Elliott Nighthawks (1981)** (out of 4)Average thriller has a psychotic terrorist (Rutger Hauer) arriving in New York City where he plans on spreading terror. It's up to a couple New York cops (Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams) to try and stop him.NIGHTHAWKS isn't an awful movie but at the same time it's far from being a good one. The film will appeal to fans of the 80's action movies where there was a lot of sleaze and violence. Apparently this film was trimmed by the studio before it went to the MPAA and then it had to be trimmed again when it got a X-rating. One really has to wonder what was actually cut because the film isn't all that violent and especially when compared to several other action films from this period.With that said, the best thing about the picture is certainly the cast who at least keep the film mildly entertaining. Stallone is in good form as the cop with baggage and Billy Dee Williams makes for a good partner. The two of them are fun to watch and I also enjoyed Nigel Davenport and Joe Spinell in their roles. Hauer was a genius when it came to playing cold-blooded bad guys and he does a nice job with the role of the terrorist. Again, rumor has it that he was stealing the picture so Stallone had a lot of his scenes trimmed and cut as well.The biggest problem with NIGHTHAWKS is the direction, which is all over the place and the fact that there's never any tension. Again, who knows how much was actually cut but what remains in the film is just not that stylish and I'd argue it's certainly not intense. It's really too bad the film plays out as bland as it does because the cast and locations are so good that one wishes the story and direction were better.

Scott LeBrun Top notch action thriller gives Sylvester Stallone one of his better roles, as Deke DaSilva, a tough street cop pulled off of "decoy" work, along with his partner Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams). His superiors reassign him to a special anti-terrorism unit that's on the trail of Heymar "Wulfgar" Reinhardt (Rutger Hauer, in a smashing American debut). Wulfgar is a ruthless terrorist-for-hire rendered persona non grata with revolutionary communities after some incidents in London. So he comes to NYC, and announces his presence in a big way, to ensure the terrorists of the world that he's still employable.This is a well directed, exciting movie that manages to grab you early on, and hardly ever lets up until a clever finish. It features some very tense sequences like the one on a tram suspended high above the East River, and benefits a lot from having such a creditable hero (Sly delivers an effectively low key performance) and loathsome yet charismatic villain. Praise is also due to the ing cast: the likable Williams, the appealing (but under utilized) Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta as our villains' deadly associate, Nigel Davenport as a smooth anti-terrorism expert, Hilary Thompson as unfortunate, ill fated stewardess Pam, and the great character actor Joe Spinell as Stallones' superior. Porn star Jamie Gillis plays a designer; Catherine Mary Stewart has a bit as a salesgirl.Further enlivened by Keith Emersons' dynamic music score (he also performs a funky cover of "I'm a Man" for the pivotal nightclub sequence), "Nighthawks" can also boast a solid climactic chase. It's extremely well shot on various locations in NYC, London, and Paris. It's violent but never overtly gory, and does have an appreciable sense of humor at times.The eyeglasses & beard look that Sly sports here is definitely unusual, but it works for him.Eight out of 10.

Mark Simon Bradshaw I have just watched this film again tonight after a too long a time. Excellent. A terse drama which never lets,even Stallone's romance with Lindsay Wagner is not interrupted by any interludes. For me it is perhaps Stallone's best film,a lot more believable than any of his action films and it had some enlightened moments (at the beginning of the film,Stallone in drag dragging a hoodlum along a railway platform). I am a bit wary of remakes,but after 34 years this is perhaps due for one but with a new cast. Just one little query. In the IMDb,our very own Edward Fox is listed as an ATAC member. Was he is the film (although I didn't see him) and if so,was it a nod towards Fox's career changing role in The Day of The Jackal?