Night Moves

Starring:Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Susan Clark, Ed Binns, Harris Yulin, Kenneth Mars, Janet Ward, James Woods, Melanie Griffith, Anthony Costello, John Crawford, Ben Archibek, Dennis Dugan, C.J. Hincks, Max Gail, Susan Barrister, Larry Mitchell, Phil Altman, Tim Haldeman, RenÃ© EnrÃquez
Director: Arthur Penn
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

This vastly underrated Arthur Penn film from the mid-1970s ranks as one of the era's nastiest and most fascinating pieces of business, a detective story that shuttles back and forth between Hollywood and the Florida Keys, with a plot nearly as complex as Chinatown. Gene Hackman stars as a tired, aging private eye who, as a favor to a friend, agrees to track down a runaway teen. But the case turns out to be something much larger: a smuggling ring of Mayan antiquities. The human impulses get darker and darker and Hackman's character gets pulled in deeper and deeper, even as his own life is falling apart. Ultimately, in one of his best and most unsung performances, Hackman winds up hurting the people he is trying to help. A great cast includes Susan Clark, Jennifer Warren, a young James Woods, and a very young Melanie Griffith. --Marshall Fine

Description

An LA detective leaves his marital woes behind to pursue a missing person case the Florida Keys and reopens an old murder investigation.

Customer Reviews:

No one gets it.......2007-05-23

I just read all the 26 reviews so far to see if anyone really understood what happened. Where is Iverson at the end? He seems to be the only character who isn't dead. They say THE BIG SLEEP is confusing -- that's nothing compared to this. When Edward Binns shows up in the plane at the end, my head is spinning. But the movie is fun to watch, and Gene Hackman is wonderful. I don't agree about the transfer, though. The center of the screen is washed out by distortion in the darker scenes. I had to put my Black Enhancement on High to get it to look decent. Like the old print of BULLITT. On the whole, I have to admire something that can hold your interest while remaining totally incomprehensible. Don't forget, Arthur Penn made MICKEY ONE with Warren Beatty.

Starts off stong then goes off the deep end.......2007-03-15

Gene Hackman puts on a great performance in the 1975 Movie "Night Moves". Hackman is private eye Harry Moseby , a man in a mid-life crisis who's wife (Susan Clark ) is bored with the marriage, and take on a job finding a missing 16 year old girl .The first half of the movie is so good that I was expecting a masterwork from Director Arthur Penn . But the story and the plot get so busy and forced, that it looked like they threw too much in to the ending. This is no "Chinatown" as allot of reviews state, It is A Great movie gone wrong with some great acting from Hackman and Clark .

Interesting look at a low budget movie from the 70's.......2006-12-16

I've always been a bit of a Gene Hackman fan so I picked up this movie since it had been mentioned in other movie reviews. It contains a very young Melanie Griffith and a very young James Woods in the cast. At first the movie revolves around trying to find the Griffith character and return her to her home. However a series of rather weird characters and events turn the movie into a bit of a far-fetched mystery. There is also a backdrop of Hackmans wife cheating on him and he does a little cheating himself. The interactions between Hackman and the man his wife is cheating on him with are rather unrealistic, I assume this backdrop is intended to give Hackman an excuse to be drawn into a little cheating himself. The ending is anti-climatic, abrubt, and far-fetched. The production and directing is competent, as is the acting by most of the cast. In one scene, Hackman drives away from a family erupted into a huge arguement on their driveway. The scene is particularly ridiculous, but then again quite realistic. Hackman does a great job of conveying the absurdity of what the audience is witnessing.

If you like Gene Hackman, this DVD is worth adding to your collection. Although the story and situations within are pretty far outside the bounds of realistic and the plot will sometimes leave your head spinning, it's worth a view. By the way, Night Moves is supposed to refer to a chess sequence that is discussed in the movie, so it might be more aptly titled Knight Moves.

Well worth your time.......2006-03-03

Early Hackman, REALLY early Melanie Griffith. Cohesive, provocative script that will stand you in good stead for repeated viewing. Interesting photography, particularly the underwater shots. With Hackman one expects excellent acting and you will not be disappointed in any of the cast. The nude scenes are beautifully done, not blatant and fall naturally into the storyline.

Good, solid, well-done film. The director is to be complimented.

An Excellent Arthur Penn/Gene Hackman Mystery, With A Violent, Poignant Ending.......2006-02-21

Harry Moseby is a private investigator with a marriage that's falling apart and an unwillingness to deal with his own personal issues. He used to play pro ball for Oakland; now he gets by with divorce work. He likes to solve chess problems. He's smarter than you think. One day he gets a call from a friend who says he's got a case for Harry. A 16-year-old girl, daughter of an alcoholic former small-time movie star and a deceased Hollywood mogul, has run away. Harry tracks the teenager down to an island off Florida and the home of her stepfather, Tom Iverson. Iverson and his wife, Paula, run a small charter boat operation. The days are filled with hot sunshine. The nights with puzzles and temptations. Harry intends to return the girl to her mother, but lands up to his eyes in murder, Hollywood stunt men, stolen Mexican artifacts and emotional betrayal.

Night Moves stars Gene Hackman as Moseby. It's one of his best roles. Arthur Penn directed and I'd put it up there with Penn's best. Several things make this movie so good. First is the coherence of a complicated story. At times Moseby is a step or two ahead of us. Some times we're a step or two ahead of Moseby. The solution, however, comes as a logical but surprising revelation to both Moseby and us. All the elements were there if we'd only noticed them. Penn's direction keeps us engrossed in the story and in the action. Even when Moseby is dealing with his wife who is having an affair, in part because of Moseby's own emotional distance, Penn keeps us involved and looking forward to the next part of the story.

Equally important, Night Moves features some first rate actors whom we believe in as their characters. After Hackman is Jennifer Warren as Paula Iverson, a complicated mixture of honesty and evasion. Paula is edgy, with a quick mouth and ping pong talk. She looks straight at you when she challenges you. Edward Binns as an aging stuntman gives another fine performance. He's tired, experienced and has seen it all. Melanie Griffith as Delly, the run-away sex nymphet, gives an excellent performance in her first billed role. She was 18 when she made the movie. Strong performances also are given by John Crawford as Tom Iverson, Janet Ward as Delly's usually drunk mother who is dependent on Delly's trust fund, Susan Clark as Harry's wife, Harris Yulin as her lover and James Woods as a repellant mechanic.

The movie steadily builds tension and interest as Harry tracks Delly down and meets Paula and Tom Iverson. Then one night Paula takes Delly for a late night swim and Harry decides to tag along. Delly strips off and dives in nude while Harry looks uncomfortable and Paula just smiles. Then Delly comes up screaming. Paula turns on the underwater lights and they peer through the glass bottom. Not too far down in the water they can see the remains of a small plane. In the cabin, fish are still nibbling at what's left of the pilot's face. At this point the movie picks up a lot of steam, with Harry determined to find out what's going on. The end of the movie is violent and surprisingly poignant. Night Moves is a movie worth having.

The DVD transfer looks just fine, maybe a little soft. There is one light-weight extra called The Day of the Director about Penn. It didn't seem worth sitting through.

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