Hawks (1989)

Thanks for the memories!

not horrible nor great

A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

I loved this movie when it first came out,and kept going back to it again and again. The subject matter was very sad,and the acting was uniformly excellent.However,I suddenly became aware of a huge plot hole,and it's bothered me ever since. Frankly,I'm stunned that no one else has seemed to pick up on it. Anthony Edwards plays an American in England with terminal cancer who ends up in the hospital fighting the disease. However,at no point in the film is he ever visited by any relatives,and in fact does not receive so much as a phone call from anyone expressing concern for his condition. Even at the end,we see him with the Dalton character and not a single family member present. What gives? Was he estranged from his entire family? The movie doesn't say. More likely is that explanatory scenes were edited out for whatever reason. It's an odd omission that bugs me every time I think of it.

A pair of happy-go-lucky terminal cancer patients decide to go out with a bang (pun intended) by stealing an ambulance and making an unauthorized pilgrimage to the Amsterdam red-light meat markets, where they connect with two women more than willing to be regarded solely as sex toys. The whole sorry mess resembles the wet dream of a dying screenwriter (with second thoughts, naturally, at the moment of truth); certainly the desperate show of good spirits by Timothy Dalton (exercising his license to ham) is only a slight improvement over flatulence jokes made at the expense of a brain-dead human cabbage. All the usual buddy-film clichés are supplemented by a mixture of cloying sentiment, annoying self-pity, low humor, and high hormones; a few cold showers would have been equally as life embracing. But let's not be too critical: there are, at least, some pleasantly scenic shots of windmills and tulips to help pass the time.

First, this movie is a treasure. The script is loaded with precious gems, and Timothy and Anthony do a fantastic job of delivering each one. Poignant and truthful, but also silly at times--keeps the audience from becoming depressed over the subject matter. It's a wonderful mixture. There are many memorable scenes that will stay with you, long after you've watched the movie; many quotable lines that are purposeful to bring up over and over.It is also a different pace for Timothy Dalton fans. He shows his comic chops in this role, as well as his ability to remind the audience what's underneath--the more serious, emotional turmoil of the terminal ill. The over-the-top, silliness of his actions is a way of dealing with his mortality, and how people have treated him because of it. Tim puts it all out there, but skillfully reels it back in when it's appropriate for the scene. One of Tim's best roles.I would give this film a 10, however I can't condone the needless swearing, mostly in the beginning dialogue (which decreases later on); and the absurd topless women in the brothel scene. To me, they only distract from what's really being said, or the comedy, and if removed, would not effect the poignant story of the film.What I like is that, after the two men get to the brothel, they decide it's not really what they wanted after all. The relationship that builds up b/t our two main guys and the two women stranded along the road (with a broken down car) is a refreshing addition to the plot.

a simple story of life......this is one of the most sensitive and funny films i have ever ever seen, to meet and realise your mortality is something we never do until its too late, Hawks well with superb acting from Messrs Dalton and Edwards makes you (well made me) realise how fragile and how little we live our lives, whilst going through a situation with a friend at the moment i have re-watched this film, to realise one that Mortality is not something to be afraid of, but also to realise that in my darkest times - A big red nose will always make me smile.so join the order of the HAWKS - I guarantee you wont regret it !!!