Ladyhawke




I am sorrow.

Set in Medieval Europe, Ladyhawke follows a chattering thief named Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) "the Mouse" after he escapes the dungeons of Aquila. Soon after he meets and eventually befriends the mysterious Captain Etienne Navarre. We find that the Captain has been cursed by the vain bishop (John Wood) of Aquila. By day he is man, by night wolf. His love Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer) is likewise cursed to be only human at night and taking the form of a hawk during the day. The two are always together, but eternally apart.

The story, ridiculous as it may sound, is actually nearly classic. It is a story about despair, love and redemption. All this is coupled with the best elements: a diminutive yet noble thief, a fallen captain and a beautiful maiden.

The plot itself is somewhat sloppy. We stumble around the wilderness until we eventually get back to Aquila. At times the scenes don't seem to coincide with each other because of poor editing and/or no adjoining story, which occasionally causes confusion. Some little things also are never fleshed out or explained as they should be. These are usually minor incidents, but they do interrupt the flow.

The movie never really achieves anything great. The best we get are some cheesy cliffhangers and a given ending. The music is also anything but good. It is difficult to explain with words, but it is way too modern and computerish. It's almost what you'd expect to hear in an eighties Nintendo game.

Matthrew Broderick steals the show as Phillipe, a young thief whose conversations with God provide the comic relief. Hauer and Pfeiffer make the cut as the lovers torn apart for all they know could be eternity. These characters are unfortunately never really fleshed out past their initial traits, however.

Timeless? Hardly. It is amusing and entertaining at times, but it never grabs you, as a story like this should.



-The Gnome