Movie Review -- Hudson Hawk (1991)

Hudson Hawk -- Don't hate it until you tried it....

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce!  What were you thinking? Once you've tried this movie..don't hate it too hard!

My first memory of this film goes hand in hand with one of the first times I ever had a drink.

As I noted the other day when thinking about my memory of NWA this film played a part. Drinking Mt. Dew and Citrus Vodka and watching a VHS copy of this film as an underage youth may have contributed to its lasting charm in my book.

Basically a comedic caper film that finds Eddie "Hudson Hawk" Hawkins getting out of jail and wanting nothing more than a good cappuccino. Alas, that doesn't work out for him.

Just when he thought he was out they pulled him back in! And by they I mean: his parole officer, a couple of low level mafia flunkies (the Mario Brothers) and the CIA. What could they want that is so important that a recently release man can't get some freaking coffee in his system? Stealing various artifacts owned by and related to Leonardo DiVinci. These items hide pieces of a device "La Macchina dell'Oro" that was supposedly built by DiVinci and perfects the alchemy process of turning metals into gold.

The Hawk recruits former partner Tommy "Five-Tone" Messina to help with the heists. The thing that makes their partnership unique is that their timing is based on the song lengths of pop standards a high point being a version of Sinatra's "Swinging on a Star". Once the heists start the movie is equal parts caper and slap stick comedy.

The cast is not bad: Andie McDowell plays Sister Anna Baragli a secret operative of the "Vatican Organization"  who is tasked with ... helping Hudson. (or is she there to stop him?) Then we have Richard Grant and Sandra Bernhard as the evil Darwin and Minerva Mayflower, the money and insane power behind the plot. Their henchmen include Kit Kat and Almond Joy played by, David Caruso (CSI MIAMI), Lorraine Toussaint (Saving Grace).

To call the movie absurd would be an understatement. This is the type of movie that walks the fine line between really bad and so bad it's good. Not sure which side of that fine line the movie should fall. I know for most it falls on the really bad side.  For me though I can't escape the charm and good, albeit hazy, childhood memories of the movie.

Bruce is the charm, Andie is the eye candy, and Sandra Bernhard is just flipping nuts. Together that combo works for me!