Ladyhawke

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Ladyhawke

PG-13,

1985,

2h 4m,

Fantasy/

Adventure

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Watchlist

68%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Upon breaking out of a dungeon, youthful thief Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) befriends Capt. Navarre (Rutger Hauer), a man with a strange secret. Navarre and his lover Lady Isabeau d'Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer) were cursed by the wicked Bishop of Aquila (John Wood), who desires Lady Isabeau for himself. His dark magic prevents the pair from ever being in each other's presence except at twilight, so they enlist Gaston in a dangerous plot to overthrow the Bishop and break his evil enchantment.

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Critics Consensus

There are pacing problems, but Ladyhawke has an undeniable romantic sweep that's stronger than most fantasy epics of its ilk.

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Sheila Benson

Los Angeles Times

Oct 13, 2023

The actors are extravagantly good: Hauer, as always, with a sense of intelligence behind his physical exploits; Pfeiffer, strong and exquisite, and Broderick, embroidering on his role as go-between, is irresistible, comic and wistful by turns.

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Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

Oct 13, 2023

4/5

Here is the kind of elaborate, gothic tragedy that fuels Germanic operas and Heavy Metal ballads — the lovers who can remain together but forever be apart.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

Jan 4, 2018

Unfortunately, director Richard Donner never quite gets the tone right, and the pace is positively stuporous. The horses gallop, but the film barely canters.

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Tom Hutchinson

Radio Times

Sep 19, 2025

4/5

Michelle Pfeiffer as the title's pretty predator and Rutger Hauer as a legendary lycanthrope give human poignancy to this medieval fairy tale about lovers cursed to shape-change into animals.

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Frances Lynn

Starburst

Jul 22, 2022

Richard Donner has made Ladyhawke an uncontroversial fairy tale for young children, as the film's blandness and stereotype performances...offers nothing interesting, let alone new.

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Matthew Turner

Hero Collector

Jul 9, 2021

4/5

A thoroughly delightful fantasy romance that holds up remarkably well and deserves to be rediscovered by today's younger audiences.

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Mar 16, 2019

The music is awful, but the movie is 80s perfection!

Leia G

Feb 19, 2019

Awesome story, Pfeiffer and Rutger are fabulous! Broderick is ok, but the score is awful!! This needs to be remade!!

Theodore P

Oct 16, 2018

this is a nice, story with great cast.

Harry M

Mar 2, 2018

Ladyhawke has a winning premise and some very moving, cinematic scenes. The tone is epic, the cinematography is very strong and its characters are very likable across the board. The film is definitely charming and perfectly solid, but it's undone by its slow pace, excessive length and such a horrible soundtrack that is distractingly loud and contemporary.

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Nov 26, 2017

One of my all time favorite movies. The acting is great all around. The scenery is beautiful and the story is interesting, tragic and happy.

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Theodore S

Oct 30, 2017

Love this film, absolutely love it! Fintastic!

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Richard Donner

Director

Matthew Broderick

Phillipe Gaston, the Mouse

Rutger Hauer

Captain Etienne Navarre

Michelle Pfeiffer

Isabeau d'Anjou

Leo McKern

Father Imperius

John Wood

Bishop of Aquila

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Synopsis

Upon breaking out of a dungeon, youthful thief Phillipe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) befriends Capt. Navarre (Rutger Hauer), a man with a strange secret. Navarre and his lover Lady Isabeau d'Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer) were cursed by the wicked Bishop of Aquila (John Wood), who desires Lady Isabeau for himself. His dark magic prevents the pair from ever being in each other's presence except at twilight, so they enlist Gaston in a dangerous plot to overthrow the Bishop and break his evil enchantment.

Director: Richard Donner
Producer: Richard Donner, Lauren Shuler Donner
Screenwriter: Edward Khmara, Michael Thomas, Tom Mankiewicz, David Webb Peoples
Distributor: Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 12, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2007
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround

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