The Hawk

(1992) The Hawk SUSPENSE THRILLER

Helen Mirren practically had to carry this movie on her shoulders, for it's effectiveness may have been better had it been short and tighter. She plays Annie Marsh, a housewife of two children, suspecting that her husband can possibly be a serial killer, people are calling "The Hawk" because victims are usually found with their eyes gauged out which is similar to what a hawk would do. With a fast forward button on specific scenes while playing on some unnecessary scenes, this movie isn't that bad, considering what the actors/ actresses had to work with. Some viewers may be disappointed with the fact, that there's no explanation regarding the serial killer's motivations for going on to this killing spree in the first place.

I found the taut atmosphere of this film, present from the very outset, set the scene perfectly for the dark content of the film. Although obviously shot on a relatively low budget, I found that the tension kept me uneasy throughout.

Mirren's performance as the uncertain housewife becomes all the more intriguing when the characters history of mental illness is revealed. This leads to a real conflict between her and her husband, and the viewer is never sure who to side with.

Overall I think this is a great bit of British cinema, and for tension and a realistic darkness, matches any Hollywood blockbuster.

A slight British thriller, with a strong cast, and a different take on the murder-mystery genre. Mirren plays Annie Marsh, who starts to believe her husband is 'The Hawk' a serial killer preying on lone women drivers, who has eluded police capture and is still on the loose. Her mounting paranoia is only exacerbated by a police force who refuse to take her seriously because of her previous history of mental illness, and her own mind, which is cruelly playing tricks on her.

Rather than the conventional narrative of following the police investigation, or the killer himself, the story is told predominantly from Annie's point of view. Mirren's performance holds the film together, and despite it's limitations it still manages to keep you guessing right up to the last minute.

The Hawk appeared on BBC 2 in 1995 as part of their Screen Two strand of TV Movies. It seems to have played in cinema two years earlier in 1993 though.

It's a weird one allegedly loosely based on the terrible case of Peter Sutcliffe, The Yorkshire Ripper. Unfortunately it just isn't convincing despite the veteran cast. Helen Mirren puts on a weird and not quite convincing cod-Northern accent, not sure if it is Yorkshire, Lancashire or RADA. Her character is as unbelievable as the accent. A housewife who suspects her husband might be the ripper, but without the depth of Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect, but it is difficult with a comparatively short runtime of 85 minutes. Then there's the car driving she does which which Steve McQueen would struggle to pull off. In addition to that madness there's some bizarre scripting choices including some racist jokes told in a Curry House and a fair amount of swearing for a TV movie of this time. To be fair there's only one Dennis Potter and one David Mamet. David Hayman does a fine job with the material and as a pro of TV direction and British film (The Bill, Finney, Firm Friends) stretches the low budget far and makes it look more expensive than it cost to make.

This film can be difficult to find. An expensive OOP DVD on Cinema Club might be the best way, but it doesn't look massively better than an upscaled VHS; I think largely because I'm suspecting this was shot on tape rather than the film stock. For a comparison between film and tape, TV Series Jack The Ripper (1988) with Michael Caine was shot on film and looks gorgeous.

A tedious thriller which feels a lot longer than its 88 minutes. Mirren's performance as is solid as you'd expect, but that really isn't quite enough and it's hard to see why this was a film as opposed to a one off TV-drama. I suppose there is something to be said for the fact the film really only let's us experience Mirren's character's perspective and the fact that the audience is kept guessing for much of the movie, but really you can't help feel this could have been a lot better. Compare it to an episode of Cracker or Prime Suspect, and it's nowhere near as dark and brooding as it likes to think it is, and nowhere near as dark and brooding as we know British drama can achieve.