The movie critic strikes back!
Back between gigs as “Rocky” and “Rambo”, Sylvester Stallone made an outstanding cop movie: “Nighthawks”. The movie was almost stolen from him by Billy Dee Williams and Rutger Hauer, but Sly’s always the coolest guy in the room. My favorite character is the curmudgeonly Nigel Davenport, but that’s just a preference for supporting players.
In light of what went down in New York the other day, the movie has a surprising relevance from the 1980s. Rutger Hauer is a kind of generic Eurotrash terrorist, but the ‘80s were a calmer time. Carlos the Jackal and the last of the Red Brigades were being hunted down. The Soviets, headed for their collapse, were caught in the bear trap of Afghanistan. Osama bin-Laden was cashing in on CIA weapons supplies.
Nevertheless, there was a vision of terrorism on the horizon. It was a generic Hollywood formula, but the movie is almost prescient. Stallone does some real potboilers, but this is one of his better efforts.
The soundtrack by Keith Emerson is especially striking. This little gem has found its way into the Encore rotation for July. Sometimes an old rerun is better than a new offering.
Given the adventure and “real deal” with New York’s PATH trains the other day, this one bears a second look. New York cops are some of the best; I only have one question…when are we going to see some leakers locked up and playing hearts with the rest of the criminal element?
In light of what went down in New York the other day, the movie has a surprising relevance from the 1980s. Rutger Hauer is a kind of generic Eurotrash terrorist, but the ‘80s were a calmer time. Carlos the Jackal and the last of the Red Brigades were being hunted down. The Soviets, headed for their collapse, were caught in the bear trap of Afghanistan. Osama bin-Laden was cashing in on CIA weapons supplies.
Nevertheless, there was a vision of terrorism on the horizon. It was a generic Hollywood formula, but the movie is almost prescient. Stallone does some real potboilers, but this is one of his better efforts.
The soundtrack by Keith Emerson is especially striking. This little gem has found its way into the Encore rotation for July. Sometimes an old rerun is better than a new offering.
Given the adventure and “real deal” with New York’s PATH trains the other day, this one bears a second look. New York cops are some of the best; I only have one question…when are we going to see some leakers locked up and playing hearts with the rest of the criminal element?
posted by Robert at 5:17 AM
4 Comments:
Sylvester Stallone, eh? I worked as an extra (moving scenery) on one of the "Rocky" films, not that I showed up in the final cut.
Anyway, some facts you might be interested to note are that he's only 5'8", and he was always escorted to the set between two bodyguards...
My horse and I nearly got run over by a tank on the set of "Rambo III" That started as an adventure in Isreal, but ended up in Arizona because the star couldn't keep it zipped.
My 6'3" always kept him edgy, and he had special armorers to load the blanks into the various weapons du jour. "Rambo III" was not one of his better efforts, but it was a lot of fun playing with the tank, in spite of nearly getting run over by the thing.
"Nighthawks" is a good flick. I highly recommend it. I'm a big-time ELP fan, and Keith Emerson shines on this one.
Hey Possum,
Did you see where one of the shuttle's current astronauts is named "Possum"?
Real name.
Thought you'd enjoy that little coincidence...
I don't think I've ever seen Nighthawks. (I know, that sounds like a sacrilege coming from a guy named 'Hawkeye', eh?) I might have seen a few snippets, but I hate watching a movie from the middle, so I probably changed channels. Will have to look for it some time.
Regards...
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