But the cinematic release is only something that makes the film’s tv origins even more evident, particularly when the grainy stock footage of ships and wildlife is blown up into unflattering perspective that fails to match the rest of the film. There is some very adult language, which tends to suggest that different scenes may have been shot for cinematic release. The story drags – three-quarters of it is taken by a banal love story between Jan-Michael Vincent and Beliunda Bauer, interspersed with scenes that cut back to show us that Moffat is still the prime menace. The film’s characterisation – paperback psychology it very aptly calls it at one point – becomes a joke. Motivation is offered up in such priceless observations as – “Hawke is a recluse because everyone he cares about is killed.” Screenwriter Donald P. Bellisario’s idea of a sensitive hero is having Jan-Michael Vincent sit and play a cello to stock footage of an eagle. But it is hard to take the film seriously – with names like Stringfellow Hawke and Michael Archangel, the characters seem to be drawn out of comic-books. Ernest Borgnine is in his familiar persona of what seems like somebody’s idea of casting Jake La Motta as a soft-headed kindly grandfather. David Hemmings overacts badly as the villain of the show. What does impress about the film are the crisp, powerful scenes of the Airwolf in operation – but otherwise there is almost nothing of interest.

Producer Donald P. Bellisario had better success with the other tv series he created/produced – Magnum P.I. (1980-88), Quantum Leap (1989-93), JAG (1995-2005) and NCIS (2003– ). Bellisario had earlier worked as a producer/writer on Battlestar Galactica (1978-9). Airwolf was later revived without Bellisario’s involvement in a second tv series, Airwolf II (1987) which was even worse than the first and lasted only one season.