It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Here's another oldie, which makes you realizes how terrorism is today. Here's also a chance to see a bearded Stallone in top form. I couldn't believe how good he was in this, which this would have to rack amongst his top performances. He ACTS, with fine support by Nigel Davernport, also strong as a terrorist expert, where baddie Hauer has been blowing up buildings, and taking innocent peoples live's in a ploy for media attention, which is something he definitely gets. Billy Dee Williams is okay as Stallone's partner, where Hauer makes a pretty creepy villain, but a human one too, quite outsmarted, in the climax, which you won't see coming, believe me. The last twenty 20 minute cable car scene with madman takes hostages, makes quite thrilling viewing, mainly cause of Hauer's intentions. He's in cahoots with another woman terrorist. This solid action thriller, of many years gone by, reminds you of just what animals these people are. Lindsay Wagner I felt was wasted in this, only cause of her limited scenes, but it's Stallone who really impresses. You should watch this movie, just for him, as it's a rarity to watch him act this good. The scenes with Davernport educating Stallone and co., was interesting, as was the differences of opinions. A raw, compact drama, and just another examples are fine film making, 80's style.

After the first couple of "Rocky" films, Sylvester Stallone tried to branch out a bit with films like this one, where he plays a character (both physically and dramatically) that couldn't be more different from the inspired pugilist. Now we know why Rocky continued for four more installments.For a basic plot summary, "Nighthawks" tells the story of two cops (played by Stallone & Billy Dee Williams) trying to apprehend the international terrorist Wolfgar (Rutger Hauer) on the streets of New York.Basically, there really isn't anything in this movie to get excited about whatsoever. The acting is sub-par, as Stallone's character is one-dimensional, which unfortunately is one more dimension than the one played by Williams. Wulfgar is no one to fear, and the viewer is never pulled into the "good guy, bad guy" drama.The plot staggers along at a glacial pace, with only an interesting beginning and ending scene to provide any "wow" moments at all. Other than that, it is roughly 90 minutes of boredom set in the early 1980s.I usually like to dissect the films I review here a bit more than this, but with "Nighthawks" there really just isn't anything to dissect. Stallone tried to distance himself from Rocky, and (at least in this case) failed miserably. That is all you need to know.

"Night Hawks" is an uncompromising, slam-bang action thriller about a couple of street-wise New York cops called Deke DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) and Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams) who are assigned to a special anti-terrorism unit. The main man they are after is a ruthless international terrorist called Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer) who is now believed to be in New York City, after undergoing plastic surgery. That's the first problem that DaSilva and Fox are up against - they don't even know what Wulfgar really looks like now! There are some terrific action scenes in this movie such as the thrilling chase sequence on the New York subway and a nail-biting sequence when Wulfgar and his female partner-in-crime, Shakka, hi- jack a cable car full of VIPs. The excellent cast also includes Joe Spinell as DaSilva's harassed boss, Nigel Davenport as an anti- terrorism expert, and the original bionic woman, Lyndsay Wagner, as Mrs. DaSilva.The acting is also worth mentioning here as well. Stallone himself, leads the cast very well throughout, doing an all around excellent portrayal of main protagonist and NYC cop Deke DaSilva, giving in my opinion one of his absolute best and most underrated performances ever. He really makes DaSilva a very tough, and gritty NYC cop who also has principles and morals, and stays true to who he is, and he goes after crime so intensely and fiercely especially during his pursuit of Wulfgar, and the animosity between those two characters is what really drives the film forward, and that electrifying, psychological edge that they both work off of each other just makes it so compelling. You also got Billy Dee Williams who plays DaSilva's partner Sergeant Matthew Fox who also does an excellent job holding his own throughout the film, and he can be a solid, and very serious cop when business picks up, but he also can be light hearted at certain moments as well. We also have Lindsay Wagner who plays Deke's ex-wife Irene, and of course Persis Khambatta playing Wulfgar's associate Shakka Holland, and also Nigel Davenport is also solid as the British Interpol agent Peter Hartman as well.Rutger Hauer meanwhile, really steals the show here with his cool, yet very chilling performance as Wulfgar. He brings such a nice, cold, and calculating sophistication to this international terrorist who is a firm believer in what he's doing, and what makes Wulfgar more immensely dangerous is that he's not just a random hired gun who does it for money, but he believes in the causes that he's fighting for. There's no question whatsoever that he really has that intensely dangerous, and psychological mind-game that he has going on throughout the film when he get entangled with DaSilva, it suddenly turns into a cat-and- mouse game of wits between the two, and the tension and suspense just builds throughout.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Nighthawks was a gritty, violent, down and dirty thriller which brought out the best in Sylvester Stallone and Rutger Hauer as the two charismatic leads. Underrated on release, it's still well worth the time.Detective Sergeant Deke DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) and Detective Sergeant Matthew Fox (Billy Dee Williams) are part of NYPD's undercover Street Crime Unit. Their boss Lieutenant Munafo (Joe Spinell) later notifies them that DaSilva and Fox have been handpicked to join the newly-formed ATAC (Anti Terrorist Action Command) squad spearheaded by INTERPOL British Counter-terrorist specialist Peter Hartman (Nigel Davenport). Their primary task is to take down international terrorist Heymar Reinhardt, also known as Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer) who after bombing a department store in London, has managed to slip through the fingers of authorities and has made his way to New York City. Teaming up with a mysterious woman named Shakka (Persis Khambatta), Wulfgar continues his campaign of terror and vows to bring New York City to its knees and it's up to DaSilva and Fox to take him down.Sylvester Stallone's career continued to climb following the success of the Academy Award winning Rocky (1976) and it's sequel Rocky II (1979). In Nightwawks, Stallone is excellent as Deke DaSilva who doesn't rely on brawn to get him by but also his brains. Stallone's character shows more of a sensitive side where he is less ruthless and trigger happy compared to many of his previous characters where he has played a policeman in movies such as Cobra (1986) and Tango & Cash (1989). Following a bloody confrontation, DaSilva rethinks his tactics and vows to match Wulfgar on even ground. Billy Dee Williams who is well known for his role as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), is perfectly paired up with Stallone as DaSilva's partner Fox who have been tasked to take down Wulfgar. Dutch actor Rutger Hauer made audiences sit up and take notice by putting in a chilling performance as international terrorist Wulfgar in his U.S. debut where he establishes himself as an actor well known for playing villains in such classics as Blade Runner (1982) and The Hitcher (1986). Director Bruce Malmuth makes his directorial debut with Nighthawks and here he has done a fine job bringing this gritty film to life on screen.It's hard to believe that today the fear of terrorism is widespread given that the events of September 11 2001 changed the world forever. Nighthawks was certainly ahead of its time.Though not a box office smash in 1981, it still netted positive reviews and acclaim, with Stallone earning his share of the praise but the standout was Rutger Hauer. Despite how dated it is, Nighthawks is still good viewing.7/10.