In the film Hook, Captain James Hook is played by Dustin Hoffman. Hook kidnaps the children of a now adult Peter to lure his arch-enemy back to Neverland after several years away. He then negotiates with Tinker Bell to let the out-of-shape Peter have three days to rekindle his spirit. He is somewhat depressed since Peter Pan, now named Peter Banning (played by Robin Williams), has left Neverland, and worries he has nothing left to accomplish, having killed the crocodile and made it into a foundation for a clock tower. He wants to have a grand war with Peter to end all wars on Neverland, but is upset to learn Peter has grown up and has forgotten everything about his past. He also has grown tired of killing Lost Boys. In one scene, he attempts to shoot himself, after which he comments, "Death is the only great adventure I have left." He keeps a clock museum full of broken clocks, since he becomes gripped with fear when he hears one ticking, likely because of the clock the crocodile ate. Ironically, this phobia is one of the factors that leads to his defeat.
At the same time, Hook attempts to brainwash Peter's children to his side by saying their father never loved them, and he is successful with Peter's son, Jack, who Peter already had a strained relationship with, and Jack soon sees Hook as a father figure. Peter's daughter, Maggie, however, retains her faith in her father. Eventually, Peter returns to rescue his children, and gives Hook the final battle he yearns for. Having won back Jack's loyalty after Hook slays Rufio - the previous leader of the Lost Boys - in front of Jack, Peter and Hook engage in a final duel amid a circle of Lost Boys holding him at bay with clocks, and is apparently "eaten" by the crocodile who seems to temporarily come back to life and falls on top of him. His final words are: "I want my mommy!"
In the film, Hook's hook is on his left hand due to Hoffman being right-handed, and has other attachments besides the hook, including a goblet and a pointer. He dresses very elegantly with a gold-trimmed red coat, matching hat, and a wig that hides his balding head. He keeps a ceremonial captain's sword at his side, but switches it for a proper dueling sword when fighting Rufio and Peter.
Hook's physical appearance in the film is heavily influenced by Disney's portrayal, though with greater embellishments of gold and silk on his clothes, and curled ends to his moustache (like a Hook), but he is far more threatening and closer to the characterization in Barrie's novel as gentleman pirate. He also seems to have the ability to travel to and from Neverland via the Jolly Roger, which is how he manages to kidnap Jack and Maggie, setting the primary conflict of the film into motion.