Night Moves

Excellent film noir masterfully directed by Arthur Penn, superbly acted by Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Susan Clark, and Melanie Griffith, and a terrific early role for James Woods. A well written story line that keeps the viewer guessing right up to its conclusion.

The original “Night Moves” is very good. Haven’t seen the new one, but I was amused to see it’s 2014 trailer on the same page as this 1975 film!

Penn's film exemplifies the noir atmosphere of the bleak, despairing 1970's in this excellent private investigator mystery. we may have come a long way, but very few films capture the ethos of the era as simply.

Gene Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a Los Angeles private eye with marital problems, a struggling business and limited career prospects. A former football star, his best days seem to be behind him when he is hired to track down the free-spirited daughter of a wealthy Hollywood widow. Although it's a case that sounds ripped straight from the pages of hard-boiled detective fiction, there is nothing routine or predictable about this film. Night Moves raises many questions about identity and why people make the choices they do, but provides few answers. Much like the great Bogart films, Night Moves succeeds at addressing serious subject matter without sacrificing any entertainment value.