The chaotic production of the 1981 thriller Nighthawks was as dangerous as its plot

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Behind the scenes of the 1981 action film Nighthawks, star Sylvester Stallone took over directing duties after the original filmmaker was fired. The production was plagued by studio interference, dangerous stunts performed without doubles, and a difficult relationship between Stallone and his co-star, Rutger Hauer, during his American film debut.

Originally conceived as a third entry in The French Connection series, the script was reworked into Nighthawks after Gene Hackman declined to return as Popeye Doyle. The film follows two NYPD detectives tasked with neutralizing an international terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer. Production was notoriously troubled, beginning with the dismissal of director Gary Nelson after just one week. Bruce Malmuth was hired as his replacement, but Stallone frequently intervened, leading to extensive re-editing and a release delayed by a year.

The film is remembered for its high-stakes, practical stunts. Stallone insisted on performing his own sequences, including a harrowing scene on the Roosevelt Island Tramway. He later revealed that the cable used for the stunt was untested and potentially lethal, noting that a test with a 100-pound bag of sand years later resulted in the cable snapping. Hauer, meanwhile, suffered severe burns and back injuries during the filming of his death scene, which he attributed to Stallone’s aggressive direction of the stunt equipment.

Critical reception was polarized. While some reviewers praised Hauer’s chilling performance as a villain ahead of his time, others dismissed the film as a shallow, violent exercise. Universal Studios and the MPAA significantly trimmed the film’s violence prior to release, cutting a graphic finale that featured an animatronic head. Despite these issues, the film was a financial success, grossing $19.9 million against a $5 million budget. Stallone has since expressed a desire to restore his original vision, lamenting that the studio’s interference stripped away the film's intended impact.

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