Stallone – in his best Al-Pacino-as-Serpico beard and hairstyle – stars as Deke DiSilva, a New York City cop who works undercover with his partner Matt Fox (Billy Dee Williams), busting muggers and perverts in Central Park. DiSilva is the typical loose canon cop, who butts heads with authority figures, yet manages to get results. When DiSilva and Fox are pulled off their regular assignment – which entails Deke donning a rubber mask and dressing as a woman to lure muggers – both men go into a tizzy. It seems that a ruthless terrorist, known only as Wolfgar (Rutger Hauer), has made it into the United States, and DiSilva and Fox have been assigned to the special task force to track him down. Led by a special Interpol agent (Nigel Davenport), the team of crackerjack officers spend their days getting lessons in terrorism, which doesn't sit well with Deke, who isn't too happy with being on the task force in the first place, and simply wants to go out and kick ass. He's also not that thrilled when he finds out that the standing order is to kill Wolfgar if possible. It seems that DiSilva is a Vietnam vet with fifty-some-odd confirmed kills, and he's seen enough senseless violence.

After a lot of gum-flapping expository dialog, DiSilva and Fox finally get a lead on Wolfgar, who has already blown up several buildings. Conveniently, no one was hurt, but now they must stop this mad dog killer before he gets serious about his terrorism. Through a series a clues and circumstances that push the boundaries of plausibility, the dynamic duo track Wolfgar to a disco in Manhattan (apparently no one told the filmmakers that disco was dead). DiSilva and Fox's discovery of Wolfgar leads to an extended chase, where the terrorist nearly kills Fox. Now it's on, with DiSilva out to get Wolfgar for nearly killing his partner, and Wolfgar out to make DiSilva look like a fool in front of the world, while in the process terrorizing a group of United Nations delegates.

Nighthawks isn't a half-bad film, although it could be better. Both Stallone and Hauer giver solid performances, especially Stallone, who buried underneath a beard and shock of hair seems more concerned with his performance than his appearance. But it is Billy Dee Williams who comes across as the most assured among the lead actors. Unfortunately, Williams is forced to take a backseat to Stallone, and for the most part his character is wasted. Likewise, Lindsay Wagner co-starring as DiSilva's estranged wife is a total throwaway. Wagner's presence in the film is solely designed to keep DiSilva and Fox's relationship from appearing too gay, and providing a contrived plot hook towards the end of the film.

Where Nighthawks suffers the most in its uneven pacing. Director Bruce Malmuth spends plenty of time setting up the story in the first act, but the second and third acts are rushed. The end result is a bit awkward, as the first part of the film is more well put together, but not as interesting as the later parts, which seem at times to be hurried and incomplete. Still, the film is a decent thriller, with enough tension to keep the plot moving along, and enough decent acting to keep it from sinking into the mire of B-movie filmmaking, where it very well may have originated.

The DVD

Video:
The release of Nighthawks on DVD is nothing more than an example of Universal going through their film library looking for titles that can be sold with a modicum of ease to the public. This is nothing more than a company gearing up for the death of VHS by making sure as much of their product is available on DVD. To that end, the 1.85:1 widescreen transfer looks decent, especially compared to the earlier release of Nighthawks on DVD by GoodTimes, which featured an inferior full frame picture. Sure, the picture hasn't been remastered, but it still looks good. Fans of Nighthawks – and there are some out there – should be happy enough that the film has gotten a measure of respect. Those that fancy themselves fans of the film, as well as Stallone completists, would do well to consider buying Nighthawks, as a special edition seems pretty unlikely (although stranger things have happened). If, however, you're not the sort of person who must own everything Stallone has done, Nighthawks makes for a good rental along with the newly released Cop Land – which you should own.

Sound: If you're looking (or is it listening?) for a great sound experience, don't turn your ears towards Nighthawks. The sound, presented in Dolby Surround is nothing spectacular. Again, this is little more than Universal going through their library and releasing product with recognizable stars that will move off the shelves. You can hear the sound, and sometimes, that is all you need.

Extras: If you plunk down your hard-earned cash on Nighthawks expecting to find a treasure trove of extras, you're in for a huge disappointment. The only thing you'll find on this disc is the original theatrical trailer – which is one of the worst trailers you'll ever see. It's no wonder Nighthawks didn't do that well during its initial release: if you saw the crappy trailer, you'd have no desire to see the film.