Movies About Art Thieves, In Honor of ‘Trance’ In Theaters Today!

Movie #2 – Hudson Hawk

Year – 1991

In 1991 Bruce Willis was fresh off the success of Die Hard 2 so Hollywood gave him a blank check and he gave us…Hudson Hawk. Oh, ‘90s bloated, excess…they name is Hudson Hawk.

Willis plays our titular hero; a cat burglar forced to steal Da Vinci works of art as part of some convoluted plot to take over the world. And yes, I know that that makes virtually no sense. It’s difficult at times to tell whether the film is an overstuffed, big-budget action film or a parody of an overstuffed, big-budget action film…that just so happens to be overstuffed and have a big budget.

But the late ‘80s, wisecracking, larger-than-life, indestructible action heroes were commonplace. So when Hudson Hawk gets thrown out of an ambulance it’s not too terribly shocking that he’d ride a gurney while popping off one-liners…but he manages to ride it through a toll booth…and pay the toll…with exact change. That, in a nutshell, is Hudson Hawk.

Critics weren’t kind to the film. But people were expecting the next Die Hard. They bought a ticket for crazy action and instead just got plain ol’ crazy. Over the years the film has developed a bit of a cult following among people who like its cartoonish humor…or perhaps they just enjoy being contrary. Like the cinematic equivalent of drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon. Either way, to this day the film remains industry shorthand for a box office disaster.

Next: The Thomas Crown Affair