Ladyhawke: A Review

I haven't done a movie review for a while, so I figured I'd go for one tonight. This one's from 1985, back in the days when movies were good and didn't rely on huge special effects budgets and CGI to tell their story. There are some effects in this one, but very little; the plot drives this movie, not the budget. It's a long-time favorite of mine, although some people don't think it's aged very well.

So, let's see. Ladyhawke is the story of a young thief in medieval France named Philippe the Mouse, who escapes from an inescapable dungeon in the city of Aquila. As he avoids the authorities, he encounters a knight, and his tame hawk, who defends him from the bishop's soldiers. The knight is on a quest to kill said bishop, which puts Philippe off a bit. However, since he's the only prisoner ever to escape from the dungeons, he is just the guy to help the knight, Sir Navarre, get into the city and kill the bishop.

By the way, this bishop is not a nice person; turns out that he forgot about that whole vow of chastity thing and lusted a whole lot after the woman Navarre loves, Isabeau. He went so far as to curse them so that if he couldn't have Isabeau himself, no man (especially Navarre) would. So, there's some fantasy in the adventure, which is always a good thing.

I won't go into any more plot details, since it's better if you watch the movie yourself. But it's got some great set-pieces, including an assault on a ruined monastery and a climactic battle in the nave of a cathedral. In the end, the question becomes, can Philippe and his companions find a way to break the curse, or will the bishop have his final revenge? Well, I'm sure you can figure it out; it's a fantasy adventure, not a modern, nihilistic depression quest.

So, casting. Matthew Broderick is Philippe, and does a fine job, bringing a little touch of Ferris Bueller to his performance (Ferris Bueller would make his movie debut the next year). He's a greedy, selfish person, and he knows it. His conversations with God are a highlight, giving him a way to impart some information to the audience, especially about his inner thoughts and feelings.

Rutger Hauer gets to be heroic and noble, and is a great Étienne Navarre. He's got that brooding fatalism down pat after his turn in Blade Runner a few years earlier, but now he gets to swing a mean sword and ride a truly awesome horse. Goliath is his name, and he gets to prance and strut around himself.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays Isabeau, the most beautiful woman in the world. Well, they certainly got the casting right there; she is absolutely stunning in this movie, especially since most of her scenes take place at night. They put some serious luminosity when lighting her scenes; there are times when she looks like an ethereal spirit, a ghost. No wonder the bishop went nuts over her.

So, we've got a solid cast, a great story, and lots of fun action. What else is there?

Oh, right...the soundtrack.

This is the part of the movie that has got a lot of people twisted up in their thoughts. It's not a classical, theatrical movie soundtrack; it's pulse-pounding, hard-rocking metal. It would have worked better with a Rocky movie than a medieval fantasy. It's not that it's bad, it just doesn't really fit very well. It's the one flaw in what is otherwise an excellent movie, and a movie that I recommend very highly.

If you're looking for fantasy adventure with some weirdness included, you could do a lot worse than The Devil's Playground, my second fantasy book. It's got curses, creepy creatures and horrid hallways, and it's available right now on Amazon, in either e-book or in paperback. Hard rock soundtrack is not included.