Hawks (1989)

Simply A Masterpiece

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

If I were to compare this movie to another I would say that it is sort of like a cross between "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Patch Adams". Granted it is not as good as Nest was, however it is not nearly as horrid as "Patch Adams" so I say it is closer to Cuckoo's Nest than the other. I mainly compare it to Patch as the two lead gentlemen in this film have a terminal illness and they try to cope with it and do so in a humorous way at times. They are thankfully spared someone who is perfectly fine telling jokes and making light of the situation. The film is about two terminally ill guys who are in a hospital in I believe London. One is an American and the other does seem to be a resident of London. At first the American is kind of down in the dumps, but the other guy named Bancroft and played by Dalton tries to get him to loosen up. At one point he even wheels him onto the roof of the building. They both finally get out of the hospitals clutches and proceed to live life to the fullest with the little time they have left. On the way to their final destination, a brothel in Amsterdam, they come across two ladies whom they attach to and the four begin to have fun. Unfortunately, the American's illness does seem to be taking hold of him fast and so there is not the happiest of endings to this one. However, it is not all that sad either.

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.

Profound film which deserves to be far wider known and is fondly remembered by all who have seen it. Ok it was remade to much greater affect by Til Schweiger as 'Knocking on heaven's Door' (1997) but this is still a meritorious effort deserving of praise. This is a trying theme and many will feel the subject does not provide suitable entertainment. I think the cinema is one of the most poignant and appropiate places to discuss and elaborate on such weighty matters as it succeeds in elevating the mundane and overtly pessimistic where other media fail. In cinema everything is possible, good, bad or indifferent. A draining experience yes, but a life affirming one.