5 Questions: Hawk’s Vengeance

My recent trend of watching action movies from the 1990’s continued when I checked out Hawk’s Vengeance starring Gary Daniels.

Daniels was one of the many stars looking to cash in in the very lucrative direct to video market in the 1990’s when Blockbuster Video was king. I was familiar with some of Daniels’ work, but up until this past weekend I could not count Hawk’s Vengeance among the Gary Daniels movies I had the privilege of watching.

While I did enjoy the film, I still had a few questions come to mind as I watched…

1. Who suggested to Cass Magda that he get into acting?

Cass Magda may be a martial arts expert, but he is no actor. Hawk’s Vengeance was Magda’s first film and it was a pretty significant role as the main villain of the film. He did not impress me and when I found that he only had one other acting credit on his resume I was not shocked. Hopefully whoever told a guy with an average appearance and a lack of charisma he should act, was the same person who told him to call it quits after two movies.

2. Where does one buy a smoke detector with knock out gas feature?  

My guess is its not at the Ace Hardware or Home Depot, but Hawk (Gary Daniels) manages to get his hands on one and he even installs it for a group of Skinheads in the film when he enters their headquarters posing as a fire inspector. Perhaps it is standard issue for all British Marines.

3. How many professional hit men does it take to kill Hawk? 

The answer to this one is more than two. Two professional hit men, Blade and Duquesne, break into Hawk’s apartment they probably should have stood right at the door so when Hawk opened it they could shoot him right in the head like Leo got it in The Departed. But instead they are just hanging out waiting for Hawk to come home. This does allow Duquesne to share his retirement dream with Blade, it involves buying a place in Costa Rica and “watching the juggage bounce by”. If they spent less time shooting the breeze and more time shooting Hawk they’d have gotten the job done.

4. Why does Blade stay in the men’s room while Duquesne has the runs? 

I am sure Duquesne wanted a little privacy while he dealt with a very personal problem. I can’t imagine the environment was anything that Blade (or at least his nose) wanted to be a part of. But yet Blade stayed in there the whole time. I don’t get it.

5. How different would the movie have been if Hawk and Lipo impersonated Hasidic Jews the entire movie?

A guy from Britain and a member of a Chinese gang fighting crime while wearing the garb of Hasidic Jews and carrying guns. This honestly sounds like it could be one of the unproduced Cannon Films I’ve been reading about recently.