Hawks [VHS]
This hidden treasure stars Timothy Dalton and Anthony Edwards as Bancroft and Decker, two patients in a terminal cancer ward in a British hospital.  The feisty, deceptively antagonistic Bancroft coaxes Decker out of his self-pitying, suicidal mindset and convinces him to enjoy his remaining days rather than waste away in the cheerless hospital. Thus the duo steal an ambulance, flee England, and head for the brothels of Amsterdam.  But their plans change when they encounter two British women (Janet McTeer and Camille Coduri) along the way, and the resulting amorous entanglements provide both romantic joy and pain for the men, who try to conceal their illness while one of the women hides a secret of her own.Hawksis a rare gem that balances humor and pathos and avoids maudlin sentimentality in handling a very serious issue.  The chemistry between Dalton's bitter but lively intellectual and Edwards's cocky but vulnerable jock propels the film to great heights. And while they keep the humor coming, neither screenwriter Roy Clarke nor director Robert Ellis Miller ever forget the direction that Decker and Bancroft's lives will ultimately take.--Bryan Reesman