Hudson Hawk Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Hudson Hawk Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 4, 2023

Michael Lehmann's "Hudson Hawk" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Bruce Willis and executive producer Robert Kraft; archival program with actress Sandra Bernhard; deleted scenes; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If during the early 1990s you regularly visited your local cinema you should recall the drama that flourished around Michael Lehmann’s film Hudson Hawk, which was supposed to be a big summer box office hit for Columbia Pictures. The early reviews were not good. By the middle of July, which was just a few weeks after the nationwide premiere of Hudson Hawk, it was already crystal clear that virtually all mainstream critics and plenty of casual moviegoers were on the same page. They hated Hudson Hawk and were not shy to let everyone know how they felt about it. As more people went to see Hudson Hawk, this vocal group just kept getting bigger and the drama became pretty intense.

But Hudson Hawk was not a flop for Columbia Pictures. Despite the domestic drama, a lot of people went to see it, and internationally the film did very well. It just was not the great summer blockbuster it was supposed to be. But why? Why did Hudson Hawk disappoint so much?

The answer is twofold. Hudson Hawk arrived after John McTiernan’s Die Hard (1988) and Renny Harlin’s Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990), both incredibly well-received summer blockbusters that had transformed Bruce Willis into the hottest action star in Hollywood. Between the Die Hard films and Hudson Hawk Willis had appeared in a couple of mediocre comedies, but very few people were upset with his contributions to them. At the time, the consensus was that Willis would make up for the mediocre comedies in his next big action film, which was supposed to be Hudson Hawk. When it became clear that Hudson Hawk was not of the same quality as the two Die Hard films, a lot of people compounded their feelings for the former with their feelings for the progression of Willis’ career and made them public. More than anything else, this was what fueled the drama that flourished around Hudson Hawk. The rest has everything to do with the fact that Hudson Hawk simply is not a good film. While it may not have been explicitly conceived as such, it is essentially a big vanity project for Willis that does a lot of things wrong as it struggles to meet his expectations. Correct. Hudson Hawk repeatedly stumbles while treating Willis as a superstar with very particular expectations, which is precisely the reason it looks like a collection of random, oddly flashy episodes rather than a complete film.

Willis plays the fresh-out-of-jail notorious thief Eddie Hawkins (aka Hudson Hawk) who is hired by two kooky billionaires (Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhard) to recover the three key components of a giant device capable of transforming lead into gold that was accidentally created by the great Leonardo da Vinci. Where are the components? Da Vinci had them hidden in art pieces after he realized the enormous damage his device could do to the world. Hawk goes to work with his best pal and partner, Tommy Five-Tone (Danny Aiello), and along the way bumps into and unexpectedly falls in love with the beautiful and emotionally available Anna Baragli (Andie MacDowell). While working hard, Hawk also becomes acquainted with the extremely resourceful George Kaplan (James Coburn), who is trying to acquire the components on behalf of the CIA.

Does the above sound like top-notch material capable of producing terrific summer cinematic fun? Sure. Unfortunately, Hudson Hawk is quite the endurance test.

Willis was the brain behind the original story that inspired Hudson Hawk and it very easily shows. This story has contrasting themes that are jumbled up in such perplexing ways that Hudson Hawk never establishes a proper identity and evolves into a borderline amateurish parody. Predictably, the spotlight is firmly on Willis so his easily detectable enthusiasm for the story produces some genuinely bizarre moments.

Hudson Hawk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hudson Hawk arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. Unfortunately, this master has a wide range of limitations that make Hudson Hawk look quite unattractive. For example, it appears that its contrast levels were boosted because many of the well-lit and daylight sequences become quite harsh. (You can see examples in screencaptures #6 and 13). Furthermore, in darker sequences, where there should be plenty of healthy nuances, blacks routinely become crushed, causing many visuals to appear unnaturally thick. (You can see examples in screencaptures #15 and 21). On top of this, when such issues are compounded delineation begins to suffer quite a lot and many visuals can appear even smeary. (You can see examples in screencaptures #4 and 16). So, even though some darker close-ups can temporarily trick you to speculate that all is well, on a larger screen the inconsistencies and fluctuations become so obvious it is impossible to declare that the film has a dated but still pretty good organic appearance. It often looks quite harsh, at times even very harsh. Colors are stable. However, the overall color balance can be better managed, especially in areas with highlights and darker nuances. Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes, nicks, and dark spots, but there are no large distracting cuts, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, some visuals gravitate around the 3.25/5.00 mark, but the bulk of the film is at the 3.00/5.00 mark. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Hudson Hawk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While in the video department there is plenty of room for meaningful improvements, in the audio department everything is solid. The lossless track boasts outstanding clarity, sharpness, and depth. Balance is very good, too. Frankly, unless in the future the folks at Sony Pictures prepare a brand new Dolby Atmos track for Hudson Hawk, I can not see how the quality of the current lossless track can be improved. I thought that on my system this track reproduced the native qualities of the original soundtrack very well.

Hudson Hawk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - two vintage trailers for Hudson Hawk. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Music Video - presented here is the Hudson Hawk theme by Dr. John. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are a couple of deleted scenes for Hudson Hawk with text descriptions. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• "My Journey to Minerva" - in this archival featurette, actress Sandra Bernhard recalls the exact moment when she was offered the part of the kooky billionaire Minerva, prepared for it, and did it while shooting in New York and Rome. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• The Story of Hudson Hawk - in this archival featurette, Bruce Willis and executive producer Robert Kraft discuss the conception and production of Hudson Hawk and their friendship. The conversation was filmed at Cherokee Studios in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by director Michael Lehman. It is a casual but very, very technical commentary that provides plenty of information about the development of the characterization, the shooting of various sequences (with the special effects that were used), and the tone and personality of Hudson Hawk.

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for Hudson Hawk.

Hudson Hawk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A vanity project that did not meet expectations. I think that this is the shortest and most accurate description of Michael Lehmann's Hudson Hawk. It is possible that this film could be enjoyed by folks who are nostalgic about Bruce Willis' best period, but the truth is that it still looks as bad as it did in 1991. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from an old master with plenty of limitations that was supplied by Sony Pictures. If you have to have it in your collection, I suggest you pick it up only when it is heavily discounted.