Hudson Hawk is a movie that you may recall as "classic" without knowing exactly why. It seems like something that defined Bruce Willis, although he had already become a huge star in Moonlighting and Die Hard by the time Hudson Hawk was released in 1991. The things that went through my head watching Hudson Hawk sixteen years later included the notion that Bruce Willis was wise to shave his head after years of receding hairline. At the same time, he looked exactly the same in 1991 as he does today, with maybe a few laugh lines on his face. Nobody else in Hudson Hawk has aged as well, with the possible exception of Andie MacDowell. The other things I considered included the fact that Hudson Hawk is really a huge cheeseball of a film. It is basically one-hundred minutes of Bruce Willis goofing on the audience and the other cast members. But how often do you see something like that? It's like Hudson Hawk is the movie we all would want to make if we struck it rich and just wanted to put our mugs on camera for some here's-my-Hollywood-version-of-the-family-movie time.

The special features on the disk offer some interesting insights into Willis and Executive Producer Robert Kraft, along with a few other actors. Sandra Bernhard does her own shtick around how she developed the character of Minerva Mayflower, but the Willis/Kraft segment is much less staged. It's basically the two guys hunkered over a piano talking about how common interest in music drew them together and how Hudson Hawk formed out of ideas that Kraft had been kicking around with a tune in his head. The movie is definitely full of music, provided in the score by Michael Kamen and inspired by Willis' and Krafts' mutual appreciation for the kind of skunky, smoky blues beat that convinces even rich white guys they can sing the blues. The story of Hudson Hawk outside the movie is interesting and die-hard (pun intended) fans of the movie can see some deleted scenes or watch with commentary and Hudson Hawk trivia tracks. Bruce Willis has so firmly cemented his image as a tough guy with the public that it's hard to even recall his persona in Moonlighting. The detective show featured Willis as a cut-up that played off Cybill Sheperd and had a nice run through the eighties. Hudson Hawk definitely resurrects this side of Bruce Willis and it's fair to say that nothing since has really struck the same note.

Other memorable cast members include Andie MacDowell, a slim and funny Danny Aiello, Sandra Bernhard, and James Coburn. An incidental character that lives on in larger-than-life fashion on television today is David Caruso, as Kit Kat. Caruso's character in Hudson Hawk is mute, which no CSI:Miami fan would believe possible. Kit Kat does get a chance to provide a few one-liners on note cards during Hudson Hawk which clearly fits Caruso's current persona as a Miami cop that does little more than pose and deliver poignant lines. Love or hate Hudson Hawk, but you can't help smiling at how much fun the actors are having on screen. It is totally over the top, but next time you feel like you may be taking yourself too seriously, break it out and give yourself a dose of cheese.