Hudson Hawk (1991)

Director: Michael Lehmann
Starring: Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell

Synopsis:
A cat burglar released from prison is strong-armed into stealing the works of Leonardo da Vinci for a madman's world domination plot.

Impressions:
This movie caught a lot of flak in the day, but I never had a problem with it. I think the issue is that people were expecting Bruce Willis to do his Die Hard thing when he still had ties to his comedic roots. As a straight action movie, yeah, it's bound to disappoint, but as a action comedy caper flick, it's a lot of fun. I find it interesting that the movie is popular in Japan for its similarities to Lupin III. If you ask me, for a globetrotting flick about an ancient conspiracy involving Leonardo da Vinci and the Vatican, it beats the heck out of The Da Vinci Code. There are plenty of colorful characters and absurd scenarios. I liked the dynamics of the power trio of Willis, Danny Aiello and Andie MacDowell. Other standouts include James Coburn as George Kaplan, Donald Burton as battle butler Alfred, and Richard E Grant as Darwin Mayflower (even if he hates this movie and thinks anyone who likes it is an idiot). So long as you accept it for the very silly movie it is, you should be able to enjoy it. Give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It