If you love The French Connection, Serpico, and The Day of the Jackal— you’ll really like Nighthawks
Stallone is clearly imitating Pacino here, has Serpico’s facial hair, undercover NYC cop (dressing up multiple times to blend in here undercover). It’s easy to see a picture of Stallone in drag here with a gun and laugh and no he’s not Pacino—but he’s actually really strong here.
Great depth of field shot with the heist man right in front of the frame in profile in the opening
International terrorist (a magnificent Rutger Hauer) a half-decade before Alan Rickman (1988) in Die Hard. Hauer’s character is ruthless, smart- has plastic surgery to shed beard and brown eyes and go back to trademark blue. A tagline “you go to a better life” before he kills
International terrorist (a magnificent Rutger Hauer) a half-decade before Alan Rickman (1988) in Die Hard. Hauer’s character is ruthless, smart- has plastic surgery to shed beard and brown eyes and go back to trademark blue. A tagline “you go to a better life” before he kills
Billy Dee Williams is miscast a little. Lando—Mr. Smooth, handsome- tough to see as a gritty NYC cop
Stallone again playing a Vietnam vet with baggage – this is one year before First Blood (1982)
Nigel Davenport strong in support as the British counter-terrorism specialist
A great scene of Stallone looking around a nightclub for Hauer to Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar”—he’s studied Hauer’s face, a nice shot, reverse shot back and forth between the two when there’s recognition.
A great scene of Stallone looking around a nightclub for Hauer to Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar”—he’s studied Hauer’s face, a nice shot, reverse shot back and forth between the two when there’s recognition.
Nice shot of the UN HQ building – foreground/background shot
Nice shot of the UN HQ building – foreground/background shot
And to the French Connection comparison (besides being gritty NYC cops) there I a long chase scene at 54 minutes- even through a subway (post of French Connection) and cat and mouse getting off and on as door close.
Doesn’t reinvent the wheel or have aims at a top 10 slot but it is a solid recommend – a very good film
I’m curious. How did you fall on Nighthawks? I don’t doubt that you’re correct and its a good solid archivable film, but what is the process that led you to sit down and watch this particular film at this particular moment?
@Matt Harris. Haha love it. Great question. Here’s the strategy:
So as you know the last few years I’ve been trying to A) See new 2019 and 2020 stuff per usual as always but B) study the works of auteurs, in chronological order when possible. That’s my main method (doing Resnais now). I have a list that I select that I want to study (Resnais is on it) and then a list of random auteurs—I believe in random or a controlled random—- just finished Buster Keaton and Leo McCarey is next on random.
But aside from that I have other controlled random triggers like lists from Sight and sound, TSPDT, my archives, movies I’ve added to my queue at some point or sometimes just movies that are now available on one of my streaming services now that I couldn’t find until now and am not sure when I will again (like Schrader’s Comfort of Strangers and Patty Hearst recently)…. etc. Nighthawks was on one of those lists, and on Netflix streaming right now. I save a bunch of these films that I save for when I need either a night off from my auteur study (Resnais night after night is heavy stuff) and/or I have like an hour to start a movie but won’t finish it until the next night. I’d never do this with Resnais but Nighthawks was perfect for that slot.
Oh yeah– and my roommate here at the house picks what movie we watch from a semi drake-controlled list (haha) like 3 nights a week as well (if you look at my recent viewings she’s picked Joker, Winter’s Bone, Prisoners, The Impossible) .
I’m curious. How did you fall on Nighthawks? I don’t doubt that you’re correct and its a good solid archivable film, but what is the process that led you to sit down and watch this particular film at this particular moment?
@Matt Harris. Haha love it. Great question. Here’s the strategy:
So as you know the last few years I’ve been trying to A) See new 2019 and 2020 stuff per usual as always but B) study the works of auteurs, in chronological order when possible. That’s my main method (doing Resnais now). I have a list that I select that I want to study (Resnais is on it) and then a list of random auteurs—I believe in random or a controlled random—- just finished Buster Keaton and Leo McCarey is next on random.
But aside from that I have other controlled random triggers like lists from Sight and sound, TSPDT, my archives, movies I’ve added to my queue at some point or sometimes just movies that are now available on one of my streaming services now that I couldn’t find until now and am not sure when I will again (like Schrader’s Comfort of Strangers and Patty Hearst recently)…. etc. Nighthawks was on one of those lists, and on Netflix streaming right now. I save a bunch of these films that I save for when I need either a night off from my auteur study (Resnais night after night is heavy stuff) and/or I have like an hour to start a movie but won’t finish it until the next night. I’d never do this with Resnais but Nighthawks was perfect for that slot.
Oh yeah– and my roommate here at the house picks what movie we watch from a semi drake-controlled list (haha) like 3 nights a week as well (if you look at my recent viewings she’s picked Joker, Winter’s Bone, Prisoners, The Impossible) .
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