Nighthawks (1981)

Sylvester Stallone was a rising star in the early 1980s thanks to Rocky and First Blood.  Pretty much he could get any movie he wanted and get everyone on that set to do what he wanted.  So, what ended up happening with Nighthawks, is he got the original director, Gary Nelson, canned and Bruce Malmuth hired.  Stallone himself directed the train sequence and Billy Dee Williams, fresh off of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, plays his partner.  It was the first time Stallone played a cop and he was hoping this would be his big comeback after a string of box office bombs.

What he didn't count on was Rutger Hauer pretty much stealing the entire movie.

Deke DaSilva (Stallone) and Matthew Fox (Williams) are a pair of New York police officers on the Decoy Unit, trying to lure muggers and drug dealers out in the open to arrest them.  They enjoy their jobs although the late hours and constant danger destroyed DaSilva's marriage to fashion designer Irene (Lindsay Wagner).  They are not happy to suddenly be pulled off duty and put on an anti-terrorism squad run by a British Interpol agent named Peter Hartman (Nigel Davenport).

Hartman has come to New York because he believes that is where an international terrorist named Wulfgar (Hauer) is going to strike next, having had his cover blown in Europe.  With a female partner named Shakka (Persis Khambatta) he is determined to get back in the good graces of his backers by making a show of power against the United Nations and the NYPD.  What he doesn't count on is DaSilva's determination on capturing him. 

This is a movie that, despite having a lot of problems, I like a lot.  Part of the reason is the gritty New York background, filmed almost lovingly by Malmuth.  I also like Stallone in this.  Although his ego got in the way during filming this was still at a point in his career when he tried to act rather than just coasting through the movie on his tough guy reputation.  Where DaSilva could have been just another boneheaded loose cannon, Stallone rounds him out a bit and also performs all his own stunts in the movie.

The big problem with Nighthawks is the movie that made it to the theater suffered a number of cuts during production to avoid an X rating, and still had to be cut even more despite intentionally aiming for the R.  The studio wanted a fast-paced action film, so pretty much all the sub-plots, including most of Lindsay Wagner's scenes, were cut.  Stallone, jealous that Rutger Hauer was dominating what was supposed to be his movie, also made sure a number of Wulfgar's scenes were cut.  The result is although this flows quickly and features a number of great action set pieces, it would have had more of a lasting impact if most of the violence had not been excised.  It would have also allowed DaSilva's character to evolve even more, as well as create a parallel between his relationship with Irene and Wulfgar's feelings toward Shakka that would have made the ending even better. 

Nighthawks started out as a second sequel to The French Connection but evolved into this once Gene Hackman decided he wasn't going to return for a third go-'round.  Thus, David Shaber and Paul Sylbert's script is pretty much what was meant for that movie.  Hackman made the right decision as this does work better as a Stallone film.  Still, it's less known as a classic '80s action thriller and more for the movie that introduced Hauer to the U.S., getting him noticed in Hollywood and cast in his breakthrough role in Blade Runner.  It must have been a blow to Sly that an unknown European became the focus of the film and outdid him both as an actor and, if reports from the set are to be believed, physically.  However, a movie like this always deserves a good villain.  It's a shame that Hauer, though he was good at it, got stuck playing leads in b-movies for a good portion of his career. 

If left intact, or if an uncut version were to be released, Nighthawks would be held in higher regard.  As it is the movie was more in common with the 1970s thrillers than the late '80s action films, and I think that slips by nostalgia buffs these days who want to see Stallone in cornier movies like Cobra and Over the Top.  That's a shame because, although the whole training bit with Hartman could have been cut down a bit, this is still quite a great action film that is head and shoulders above most of Stallone's films throughout the rest of that decade.

Nighthawks (1981)

Time: 99 minutes

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Rutger Hauer, Persis Kambatta

Director: Bruce Malmuth