Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- gritty
- paranoid
- 1980s action marathon
- crime thriller night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film an energetic but shallow police thriller, with Rutger Hauer's terrorist performance standing out amid complaints about weak writing and missed dramatic potential.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The New York setting, undercover police work, and nighttime pursuit of Wulfgar create a distinctly noir-inflected metropolitan texture.
DaSilva and Fox are recruited into an elite anti-terrorism squad to stop an international terrorist operating in New York City.
Wulfgar functions as the driving force of the plot, while the cops respond to his escalating criminal activity and threats.
DaSilva's grandstanding police role is placed inside an elite squad whose mission requires coordinated counterterrorism work.
Films like Nighthawks, and why
The French Connection
shared neo-noir atmosphere, police pursuit, urban terrorism, and tense cat-and-mouse thriller structure
The Day of the Jackal
shared international terrorist plot, procedural investigation, and grounded manhunt tension
To Live and Die in L.A.
shared 1980s urban crime-action style, undercover policing, and confrontational cop-versus-killer dynamic
Manhunter
shared metropolitan police thriller framework, morally abrasive protagonists, and bleak crime atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Bruce Malmuth
- Release Date
- 1981-03-17
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (514)
Cast
- Sylvester Stallone
- Billy Dee Williams
- Rutger Hauer
- Lindsay Wagner
- Persis Khambatta
- Nigel Davenport
- Hilarie Thompson
- Joe Spinell
- Walter Mathews
- E. Brian Dean
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Darkroom
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Nighthawks about?
- Two New York undercover cops enter a dangerous cat-and-mouse battle with an international terrorist stalking the city.
- What is Nighthawks like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Nighthawks as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Nighthawks violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Nighthawks as brutal.
- What did critics think of Nighthawks?
- Critics generally found the film an energetic but shallow police thriller, with Rutger Hauer's terrorist performance standing out amid complaints about weak writing and missed dramatic potential.
- Which films are like Nighthawks?
- Films with a similar feel include The French Connection, The Day of the Jackal, To Live and Die in L.A., and Manhunter.
- How long is Nighthawks?
- Nighthawks runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Nighthawks?
- In United States, Nighthawks streams on Darkroom.
