Hawks - Die Falken

"Hawks" is a film that's not for everybody. While I can appreciate some humor in a story of terminally-ill people grappling with life, I can also understand that there may be many to whom this film won't be appealing. I have known two people who have lost spouses to rare or uncommon diseases and at least half a dozen families that have suffered the loss of a young member due to cancer. While the family members all recover over time, very few, if any, would find anything funny in movies of this nature. The same might be said for close friends and associates of those families and the loved ones they lose.

And, there may be any number of others who can't enjoy humor in movies about people who are dying. Cancer alone, with its many types, has touched more lives even than all the wars since the Mid-20th century. It's doubtful that there could be anyone alive today who doesn't know someone who has had cancer, who has died from cancer, or who has a family member that has cancer. Understandably, many more people may not find this type of film of interest.

The terminal illness of the two male leads is what makes for the dark humor in "Hawks." This is not rollicking comedy but a gentle humor that can bring smiles to faces. It's a warmth in the face of cold and the hard reality of imminent death. Often times, in real life if not in the movies about such stories, a religious or faith aspect works with the humor. That's absent in this film. But what it does have is a clear, confirmation and conviction of the great glory of life, and how precious it is in living it for the present. This is a respect for the beauty of all creation and dignity of the human race - of each human being, of each person.

That is the most obvious theme of the character of Bancroft, which Timothy Dalton plays to perfection. I'm surprised he didn't receive nominations for his performance from Hollywood, the foreign press or the British film industry. Anthony Edwards does very well in his roll as Deckermensky, and Janet McTeer and Camille Coduri are very good as the two girls they befriend. The one weakness in the screenplay is the sudden change of character of Anthony Edwards. He is in the doldrums in several short scenes, one after another in the opening, and then, all of sudden he's highly animated and lively. The film needed to either tone down his doldrums or make his transition a little slower and more believable.

This is a very good movie with a simple plot. But one that develops into a story that is much more interesting than the opening intimates. It has a surprise ending, but some may guess it - as I did, before the last scenes reveal it. If one isn't put off by stories or matter surrounding death, disease or handicaps, this film may be quite enjoyable for the spark of life it celebrates. It is definitely for mature adults.

It's hard to say much. The film is drama and a comedy in one. It's very moving but it's also very funny. I believe that it's not that easy to make that kind of film. It proves that Robert Ellis Miller is one of the best directors ever. Both of the main actors - Timothy Dalton and Anthony Edwards should get Oscars for the roles. PEOPLE YOU MUST SEE "HAWKS" !!!

Deck (Anthony Edwards) appears onscreen first as prospective purchaser of a sweet-featured, warm red & all decked-out Saab: "sleek, fine, and fast!" Then after the rather traumatizing experience of the test drive, the persistent salesman tells him that the warranty's 5 years- "I'll take that," he says. And- That, with utter conviction.

What a great opening to set the tone for this wonderful sleeper of a movie - which stars Timothy Dalton, Edwards, Janet McTeer, and Camille Codori. This film has all the essential elements touching the heart: attractive & sympathetic leads - humor - poignancy - and the encompass of existence, light & the dark of it.

Dalton never ceases to amaze me with the scope and range of his performances. He's deftly captured King Philip of France, Henry Darnley, Hamlet, Hotspur, Antony, Heathcliff, Rochester, James Bond, and others. He actually had the audacity to make this movie in between his two Bond films! He packs a powerful punch here as the very flawed but endearing Bancroft: a highly intelligent man on a relentless quest for fun in spite (or, is it because of?) the bleak prognosis of his life.

His partner in crime is Deck - an American being treated for the same affliction in the Charing Cross, London hospital. Despite their conflicts, their health, militant nursing sisters, and all constraints with the English law regarding ambulances, together they depart for a momentous trek across the channel to Amsterdam.

There, they meet Hazel and Maureen - two best friends from London on their own trek: that, to reunite Hazel with the father of the baby she's pregnant with.

Bancroft and Deck had gone to Amsterdam in quest of a brothel - the girls in quest of a balding Hollander. What they all find instead is something completely different. They come to find a somewhat quirky enlightenment, each in their own individual way.

I highly recommend this little treasure of a movie - best watched snuggled on lots of pillows, under a warm down comforter, and with a glass of well-bodied wine.

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.

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.