Hudson Hawk: Michael Lehmann

The greatest sin Michael Lehmann's Hudson Hawk committed was that it bit off more than it could chew. In trying to think of how to describe the film, the word "much" comes too mind: the comedy is too much, the surprisingly labyrinthine plot (for a Hollywood blockbuster, anyway) is too much, and several of the performances are... too much. The film, about an eccentric American burglar played by Bruce Willis who is forced to help steal mechanical parts to an ancient alchemy device designed by Da Vinci, has some sincere heart (Willis is extraordinarily charismatic), some genuine laughter (slapstick humor isn't for everyone, though...), and some gripping excitement (the ambulance chase scene was one of the best action sequences Willis did during the 90s). But the film is just too much. Halfway into the film I couldn't keep track of who was controlling and betraying who. Was the evil married business couple who wanted to destabilize the world's economy working with or AGAINST the CIA and the Vatican's counter-espionage agency? I think that the film would have worked better without the CIA subplot. As it stands, Hudson Hawk isn't a travesty, but a miscalculation. There are some interesting ideas and concepts being used in this film. But, again, it's just too much.

4/10