Hawkeye (1988)

hyped garbage

Great Film overall

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I really liked this film. Think the French Connection meets Chuck Norris in Code of Silence. Cheung is Gene Hackman-like in this modern Vegas set noir. The tension throughout the movie is held by an expertly written script and well choreograph action scenes. Cameos by Martin Balsam and Tobias Pahloosh were comic interludes that allowed the viewers to have a chuckle here and there.SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Look for Steven Seagal in a very funny scene involving a prostitute, a cab driver, and a little person. My only gripe was that the gunfights were a little too long in spots. The car chases were right out of Ronin, A!!Naomi Campbell was hot. Some of the sex scenes were a little too explicit for an R Rated movie especially given that they show actual penetration and digital manipulation of genitalia.

George Chung was among the big names of the 80s karate circuit, so it's no real surprise that he ended up making movies. The fact that his name is unknown to most contemporaries is due to the shortness of this second career and the questionable quality of the features he starred in. With that said, HAWKEYE (a.k.a. KARATE COPS) might be the best of Chung's three vehicles, and it's definitely of interest to B-movie aficionados. Though not nearly action-packed enough to make it an ironic masterpiece like "No Retreat, No Surrender", the feature boasts plenty of goofy fun and isn't half bad for forgiving viewers.The story: Two detectives – played by Chung and Chuck Jeffreys – investigate the murder of a policeman, and in the process uncover a treacherous underworld alliance.Chung directed this movie himself, and his particular directorial style is either the best or worst thing the film has going for it. Working within the confines of a limited budget, George plays fast and loose with a fairly straightforward storyline and indulges every spur-of-the-moment idea that comes into his head during filming. There are many, many instances wherein dialogue seems to have been ad-libbed and the performers just did what felt natural or seemed funny. They don't exactly do so gracefully, and combined with frequent bad acting and amateurish editing, it's easy to look at this movie as a misadventure. However, I find joy in the creative enlivening of what might otherwise have been a very boring movie, and I applaud any instance wherein a filmmaker's gusto is as clearly visible on the screen as it is here. The always-entertaining Chuck Jeffreys helps a lot, and his relationship with Chung's character (later remodeled in SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO) can be very fun.Martial arts are prevalent throughout the picture, giving Chung and Jeffreys enough opportunities to show off their kicks, but there are very few substantial fights. This, more than anything, negatively affects my rating. There are only three brawls which last at least ten seconds, and among these, only two of them – George's randori and the karate school fight – are actually good. (SPOILER) Grandmaster Hidy Ochiai plays one of the two lead mafia bosses, and disappointingly, there's no showdown with him taking on the heroes. There's some gunfighting and a car chase, but overall, I'm dissatisfied with the action content. The tone of the picture gives us the impression that the next action scene is just around the corner, but even when this is the case, it more often than not is over within a moment.Nevertheless, there's a zaniness here that makes up for a lot of missed adrenaline. So many times, a character will do something or say something so inconsistent with our expectations of reality that it makes you take renewed notice – like when Chung's character threatens to kill a schoolchild and the teacher responds by hitting on him. It's very easy for unprepared viewers to walk away from this film with a negative experience – even I didn't care for the chauvinistic, homophobic detours the screenplay makes – but for the right audience, this film would have been worth owning a VCR for.

Cop On the Edge Alexander "Hawkeye", "Hawk" Hawkamoto (Chung) is a man so awesome, even his nickname has a nickname. Formerly a Texas cop, he resettles in Las Vegas where he's out to settle the score with the mob, led by gangster boss Tony (Wertlieb). After being assigned a new partner, an equally brash detective named Charles Wilson (Jeffreys), the two tear up the town like nobody's business. Forget MASH, here's the real Hawkeye!We absolutely loved Hawkeye. This type of movie is right up our alley - it's fun, funny, ridiculous, and wildly enjoyable. The supposed "amateurish" nature of the movie is far from a negative, it actually endeared us to it even more. Just the level of (non) acting from everyone except the leads is enough to provide more entertainment value than you'll find in many other movies. Starting from the great intro, Hawkeye never runs out of steam and is highly watchable the entire time.It wouldn't be an 80's cop movie without sax on the soundtrack, acid washed jeans and radical sunglasses. Chuck Jeffreys puts in one of his best performances as the energetic new partner. The movie is also filled with un-PC humor that you never see today. While there seems to be some controversy over who actually directed the movie, Leo Fong or George Chung, it definitely has that Fong-y style we recognize from his past projects. But someone really should look into possible misspellings in the credits ("Kieth"? "Micheal"? "Stien"?) As for George Chung, he's at his best during "Junior Cadet Day" at the academy, where a bunch of kids come to learn about police work. Apparently it mainly consists of threats. It's also completely ignored that Chung/Hawkamoto is even Asian, as other characters call him "Cowboy", he hates Sushi, and doesn't know what a Dojo is. Throw in some random narration, and there you have it.As if that wasn't enough, Troy Donahue is (barely) involved, and his use of pauses in his speech makes William Shatner look like John Moschitta. Lest we forget "All-Pro Football Star Ronnie Lott" (if seeing that on a box while perusing a video store doesn't make you want to rent the film, what will?). A unnecessarily shirtless guy who looks like Jerry Trimble, among a row of meatheads completes the picture.The tape seems like a homemade production, having been released by Valley Studios of Sunnyvale, CA, and the copyright is 1988 Action America Entertainment. Did they ever release anything else? Hopefully. If you have a sense of fun and/or humor, you will totally love this gem. Hawkeye is a bona fide winner. For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

Another little gem in the all too brief filmography of martial arts movie star/writer/producer/director George Chung (Fight To Win, Kindergarden Ninjas).Structurally and technically a little crude (and not quite up to par with Chung's earlier masterpiece, FIGHT TO WIN), KARATE COPS (aka HAWKEYE) nonetheless remains a very enjoyable modern day martial arts film. Decidedly tongue-in-cheek, this extremely low budgeter (the editing especially has a homemade look to it) contains superb martial arts, snappy one-liners, and a knockout performance by co-star Chuck Jeffreys (Bloodmoon, Deathfight, Fight To Win), who, like Chung, warrants much more merit than he has ever received.Chung plays a cop from Texas who, against his will, is assigned a new partner, played by Jeffreys. Together the two crack down on a Japanese mobster and his henchmen. Years before RUSH HOUR, Chung and Jeffreys demonstrated a great rapport and talent for bicker and banter.Filled with situational comedy, fantastic martial arts, and even some surprisingly well done dramatic acting (from BOTH leads), KARATE COPS also features a first rate villain, the legendary Leo Fong (Blind Rage, Blood Street, Fight To Win).Memorable bits include Chung foiling a bank robbery by knocking out a female bystander and shooting around many hostages, Jeffreys taking a game of good cop/bad cop a little too seriously, Chung explaining that his martial arts instructor was just a fat guy at the Y, and a climactic game of high stakes roulette.A must-see for fans of American martial arts movies.Very fun!