SummaryThe thief Gaston escapes dungeon of medieval Aquila thru the latrine. Soldiers are about to kill him when Navarre saves him. Navarre, traveling with his spirited hawk, plans to kill the bishop of Aquila with help from Gaston.
Directed By:Richard Donner
Written By:Edward Khmara, Michael Thomas, Tom Mankiewicz, David Webb Peoples
Ladyhawke
Metascore
Generally Favorable
64
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
64
55% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
90
Laced with medieval magic, it has stalwart knights and tremulously fine ladies, heavy-hoofed horses who might have clattered straight out of German fairy tales and broadswords so heavy you or I could never heft them. Most of all, it is a bold, beautiful, marvelous vision.
80
A happy, scenic, sumptuous film. [12 Apr 1995, p.25]
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
70% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
19% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
11% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Oct 2, 2021
10
A forgotten masterpiece and one of the best love stories I have seen in movies. It has a unique story, good twists and remarkable characters that won me over with ease. I have read that it is based on an old french tale but do not find a source for this. The story is set in the 13 century in middle Italy. The thief Phillipe called “The Mouse” escapes the dungeon of the city of Aquila shortly before his execution. However this is bigger than he imagined as the ruling Bishop see this a personal insult to his rule and sends his personal guard to capture him. As he is close to being caught a mysterious man named Etienne Navarre together with his hawk defeats the guards and safe him. The appearance of Navarre has such an impact of the guard captain Marquet that he rode immediately to the Bishop ruining multiple horses. Phillipe is now in company with the mysterious Navarre who needs his help and his female companion Isabeau he only meets at night. This is the set up for the story. It is a great fantasy movie that does not need special effects or many elements you would associate with it. The great story, mystery, characters and ideas are excellent enough to carry the movie. I never understood why the critics rated this so low. In my circle of friends it is valued as forgotten gem with great ideas for a story. Lets go to the really great cast. I think they found excellent actors for all roles. Matthew Broderick is a great Phillipe. He nails the mousy part and is a good hearten thief. Impressive performance. Rutger Hauer as Etienne Navarre is equally good. He is the stoic knight who is quarreling with life and his past. He is a kind man underneath but life has hardened him. Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau is the yin to the yang to Etienne. Her great performance and good chemistry are a mayor selling point in the movie. John Wood as bishop of Aquila is the scheming and feared kind of villain. Some one you would not have as enemy or even knowing you exist. Ken Hutchison plays captain Marquet who is the guard captain and chief henchman of the Bishop. Good and intimidating performance. Finally there is Leo McKern as Imperius. He is an elderly monk who is involved deeply in the events. A truly great cast that does everything right. Then there are the sets and castles. I still remembered how good those looked. Be it Torrechiara castle which is an amazing location as is the decaying castle Rocca Calascio or castle Arquato (Not sure if this is not just a palace by the way). The landscape also won me over even if it is not Lord of the Rings level. The falconry and training was excellent too. I am not sure if by today's standard are allowed to even say this. Overall this is a classic fantasy fairy tale. It delivers from start to finish and the characters, story and atmosphere make this a must see recommendation for me.
80
LadyHawke is a very likeable, very well-made fairytale that insists on a wish for its lovers to live happily ever after.
70
All rather facile sword-and-sorcery stuff, of course, but at times very funny (special mention to McKern as a bumbling priest) and always beautifully photographed in the Italian Dolomites.
50
Donner never quite gets the tone right, and the pace is positively stuporous. The horses gallop, but the film barely canters. [15 Apr 1985, p.B2]
50
Ladyhawke would be harmless fun if, in fact, it were more fun. [12 Apr 1985, p.D2]
40
At almost every point where we might expect a little ping of surprise or mystery, Donner lets us down. It's a limp and dreary movie.
Nov 26, 2025
9
Majestically filmed, with three fantastic leads, what a crime that this movie disappointed financially in 1985, but it is one of the most glorious medieval fantasy tales ever put on film. Gorgeously shot by a master photographer, with gorgeous production design and costumes, not to mention it's pulsing music score. Tragically underrated during awards season, where it's cinematography and editing and costumes and art direction should have been candidates for every major award. Thoughtfully directed by Richard Donner, with the same sense of wonder and beauty he had for Christopher Reeve's Superman.
Oct 15, 2025
4
Richard Donner helms this small-stakes fantasy plot that mixes a plucky thief with a set of cursed lovers, a remorseful monk and a conniving bishop. Matthew Broderick overplays that first role, winking at the camera like Ferris Bueller while he slips through secret passages and swipes gold from unwary guards. He’s way too much, an annoying sorta-protagonist that was meant to be appealing, but as he’s the film’s only sense of light-hearted relief, he stubbornly sticks like the crap under our boot. Broderick’s over-the-top comedy act serves as hard contrast to the grim, funereal roles played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer. They’re sweethearts of the star-crossed sort, doomed to spend half the day as wild animals, but not the same half. Said monk applied this hex and his commander, the bishop, gave the order, which accounts for each of our major players. Pfeiffer is sweet but restrained, appearing more often as a hawk than a human, while Hauer is cut from the stoic, hard-headed warrior mold. He makes a lot of speeches about family honor and doesn’t gladly take advice. I needed three sittings to get through this. Just couldn’t keep my eyes open. The story dwells and plods, squeezing its revelations for more than they’re worth, and indulges in a lot of quiet, reflective spells. Such breaks are often beautifully shot, adding mood and color to a film that’s limited in both respects, but this viewer could only tolerate so many brooding sunset panoramas before unwillingly finding one or two of his own. Flat action and dated special effects don’t help matters. Rutger Hauer cuts a mean figure, but he’s handcuffed by the unwieldy, gem-studded claymore his character drags everywhere. And, as he’s at the heart of every fight scene, the important melees mostly consist of lightly-armed men standing around, waiting to be slashed. Or shoulder-blocked by his giant, twitchy black horse. Special negative points for the mismatched score, a bouncy synth-fest by Alan Parsons Project member Andrew Powell (Parsons himself produced) that would be more appropriate in an aerobics class than a grim, medieval fantasy tale. Famously terrible, this schlocky assortment of Casio demo tracks reliably zapped me out of every moment. I suspect Donner and company came to the same realization during editing, as the peppy muzak tunes mysteriously disappear somewhere in the third act.
Aug 14, 2025
4
It was nice, though a bit boring compared to today’s films. The final scene felt flat, and while the movie’s premise was okay, it didn’t deliver much beyond that. The soundtrack was pleasant and matched the medieval fantasy tone. Costumes and scenery were beautiful, but they couldn’t save the pacing.
Mar 18, 2022
3
Typical Matthew Broderick movie: slapstick humour and a story full of logic holes. After 20 minutes I had enough.
Jun 8, 2024
0
Cette daube commence décidément très mal avec cette musique disco (?!… qui se poursuit durant tout le film, une torture !), puis les dialogues de vieux feuilleton moisi, et enfin la mise en scène plate et insipide (c’est Richard Donner qui a fait ça ?…). Les acteurs ont l’air perdu et les actrices aussi, le mauvais goût des costumes est navrant (on est à la foire ou quoi ?) et l’histoire s’avère stupide et niaise comme c’est pas possible. Alors éventuellement pour les « tous **** » ? (mais pas plus de 4 ou 5 ans sinon ils vont vite se faire chier quand même !).
Production Company:
- 20th Century Fox
- Warner Bros.
Release Date:Apr 12, 1985
Duration:2 h 1 m
Rating:PG-13
Tagline:CURSED FOR ETERNITY...No force in Heaven will release them. No power on Earth can save them. [UK Theatrical]
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Wins & 5 Nominations
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
