Dorathen
Better Late Then Never
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Coventry
In case you were hoping to sit back and enjoy a schlocky, over-the-top and typically 70's "nature gone wild" creature feature (in the same trend as "Frogs", "Squirm", "Grizzly", "Night of the Lepus" or "Day of the Animals"), don't even bother to watch "Nightwing"! Yes, this movie basically handles about killer bats and features one or two virulent animal-attack sequences, but primarily this is more of a talkative and wannabe-ambitious slice of eco-horror full of pro-Indian gibberish and moralistic messages. It's actually very reminiscent to that other 1979 eco-horror flick "Prophecy", and that wasn't any good either. In an enormous and remote New Mexican reservation, traditional Indian Youngman Duran argues non-stop with progressive Indian Walker Chee. For you see, a lot of severely mutilated cattle cadavers have been discovered lately, but Chee denies the obvious infestation of vampire bats because this negatively impacts his business negotiations with a large shale-oil corporation (indeed, the "Jaws" influences are never far away in horror cinema). So instead, Duran teams up with the rather eccentric professional bat-exterminator Philip Payne. Together they attempt to track down the bats' hideout cave as well as the whereabouts of a local beauty that went missing during a Christian camping trip. My movie-buddy warned me that this wasn't going to be a light-headed trash flick, but – alas – I didn't listen. Arthur Hiller's direction is more than competent, but the screenplay adaptation deep dives too much into Indian folklore and tribal rivalries, while it stupidly neglects the creature-feature potential. A terrible shame, since the nauseating bat critters, partially from the hand of Carlo Rambaldi ("Alien", "Deep Red"), come across as rather menacing when shown in close-up. "Nightwing" isn't at all worthless and features two memorable elements: a grisly attack on a group of campers sitting around a campfire and the performance of David Warner as the skeptical bat hunter. His long speeches about how vampire bats are the embodiment of evil and how this species contribute absolutely nothing to the functioning of the environment are the undeniable highlights of the movie. He sure hates the bats with a passion!
Scarecrow-88
"They came just after dark. Thousands of them. They filled the sky."Nick Mancuso stars as a deputy of the Maski Tribal Police, faced with a major crisis along with other tribes in the surrounding territories: migrating vampire bats have a colony hidden in a cave somewhere in one of the desert mountains, thirsty for blood and attacking animals such as horses and sheep. David Warner is a vampire bat specialist who follows the bats, exterminating colonies when he finds them. He'll need Mancuso's assistance (the bats are hidden in a cavern somewhere in Maski Canyon, holy ground for Mancuso's tribe) to find the bats so he can kill them. The bats leave a stench of ammonia on those they kill and are carrying the bubonic plague. Stephen Macht is a vocal leader of another tribe, having brought white man's progress to his people, needing Mancuso to talk the Maski into allowing an oil company to come into their area to drill. This movie isn't just about killer bats on the warpath, but explores the customs, beliefs, and plight of the Native American people within a certain area. I must say that I was divided about this film. While I liked the cast a hell of a lot and thought the idea of centering your story around Native American characters (and an English scientist who hunts vampire bats) was refreshing for a "when animals attack" creature feature. That said, I found the bats themselves primarily campy looking and the movie is a bit overlong (there's a solid 80 minute movie here stretched out twenty more minutes). The attack sequence where Christians are swarmed and bled is less horrifying as it is unintentionally funny because the bats look so fake. The performances, however, for the most part, make up for many of this film's deficiencies. I did kind of roll my eyes, truth be told, at the end when Mancuso begins to see "ghost Maski" led by Abner, even communicating to him as the dead spiritual leader stands on an old Native American city inside a cavern where the bats rest during the day. Mancuso talking to Abner about "closing the circle" and keeping him from killing everybody so that the Maski people can rise anew like a Phoenix from the fire. Kathryn Harrold (The Sender), as usual, is really good as Mancuso's white love interest, a doctor who plans to attend college at Baylor University so she can gather greater knowledge and return with a better understanding on how to help the Native American people. Warner is a quality addition (no surprise) to the film, a more practical, logical man within an environment of superstition and customs he must contend with, his vampire bat hunter equipped with technological means and the expertise to catch and kill those bloodthirsty vermin. Macht, as a Native American with designs on cashing in on oil so that "his people can have clinics and schools", appropriately casts doubt on his real motivations for securing the trust of the Maski tribe. Strother Martin steals his scenes (was there any doubt?) as an old missionary-turned-store owner who married an "Indian woman" and spawned a daughter he begs Mancuso often to marry (Strother has primarily two scenes, one where he speaks disappointingly to Christian tourists about how the Indians hate him, with a wad of chew in his mouth). Martin does seem to believe in many of the beliefs from the Maski tribe, evident with how reluctant and worried he is to follow Mancuso onto Holy Ground where Abner was buried. The New Mexico locations will take your breath away and really add a lot to the film. I can't say that "Nightwing" is anything that great, but worth a watch for the cast and setting. As a creature feature, however, not that special.
Paul Andrews
Nightwing is set in the New Mexico desert on a reservation where the Maski Indian people live, Deputy Duran (Nick Mancuso) is called out to investigate a dead horse which has been bitten to death & it's blood drank but rich businessman Walker Chee (Stephen Macht) wants it kept quiet since he's trying to sell the land which is rich in oil. Walker is contacted by Phillip Payne (David Warner) an expert in tracking & killing Vampire bats who claims that Vampire bats are nesting in a cave on the reservation & they are spreading the bubonic plague unless they are killed which he is willing to do. Phillip teams up with Duran in an attempt to stop the plague from spreading & wiping out most of America...Directed by Arthur Hiller this is pretty poor fare from start to finish. The dull script by Steve Shagan, Bud Shrake & Martin Cruz Smith was based on his novel of the same name takes itself extremely seriously & I though it was a bit of a mess if I'm honest. At times it comes across as a drama more than a horror film as it tries to deal with various clichéd issues like the businessman who wants things kept quiet so as not to blow his big money deal, the differences between the Indian people & modern civilisation, superstition, prejudice & a Deputy who has to save the day. For a start lets get one thing settled straight away, this is not a film about killer bats in the way you would expect, no this is about the potential devastation the bubonic plague carried & spread by them could inflict on America. There are only two bat attack scenes in the entire film so don't expect a high body count or lots of gore. Then there's the fact that the film never really decides what it trying to do, it seems split between the rationalisation of the modern world & supernatural ancient Indian spirits & legends. Nightwing never quite makes itself clear whether there is anything supernatural going on or whether it's just Duran's interpretation of the situation, personally I think it's an uneasy juxtaposition which doesn't work at all & just confuses an already poor film. Then there's the fact it's pretty darn slow, not that much actually happens in it & it's just plain boring. The character's & dialogue are poor & the ending is pretty bad as well.Director Hiller doesn't do anything to make this more watchable, he directs at a leaden pace & at times seems to forget this is meant to be a horror film about bats. However considering the rubbish puppets & special effects provided by the worst special make-up effects man ever Carlo Rambaldi it's not surprising Hill didn't show them too much, the bat puppets are truly terrible & there's simply no other word for it. Forget about any gore as there isn't any apart from a couple of bat bites.Technically the film is alright with some decent cinematography but when a films just this bad it doesn't really matter how nice it looks. There's no style here, there's no scares or tension or atmosphere & I'm still not sure what sort of film this is meant to be or who it's meant to appeal to. The acting isn't great, it's nice to see David Warner in genre film but I'm not sure about his character, I mean are there really people in the world who do nothing but track & kill Vampire bats for a living? Otherwise everyone here is pretty damned forgettable.Nightwing is crap, that's just my opinion for what it's worth & it does seem to have good reviews on the IMDb so maybe in the minority although personally I don't think so. Very little here to recommend, watch The Bat People (1974) again instead as it provides far more fun & entertainment than Nightwing does.
skallisjr
This movie's fun, if based on a questionable premise. We have the stereotypical Menace -- in this case, vampire bats -- who have to be exterminated before they Get Us All, and the pivotal character is an American Indian cop.A tribal elder on a reservation is apparently behind the appearance of the bats, as he apparently shamanistically summoned them to "end the world." This because sacred grounds are being threatened by an industrialist, who wants to exploit resources.Now, a word of reality here: movies to the contrary, real Vampire Bats don't suck blood. They evolved from fruit bats, and they nip their sleeping victims and lap the blood. The astonishing thing is that they do this without waking their victims. Their bite and anticoagulant saliva are being studied by medical institutions for new technological advances (in surgery and anesthesiology). They're neither aggressive nor dangerous.Nonetheless, the movie bats are a menace, and a force of nature. The film reaches a satisfactory ending, which solved the problem set up by the industrialist, too. Fun, but not to be taken seriously.
