Night Moves | | Cast : | Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren | | Director : | Arthur Penn | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | , 1975 | | DVD Released Date : | July 12, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 16, 2005 | | Summary | '70s Noir | Content
 | This is a relatively unknown film noir from the mid '70s, starring Gene Hackman as a former football player turned private eye who is obsessed by a chess game from the '20s, where one of the players missed a forced mate, and lost instead. He's hired by a wealthy former hollywood starlet to track down her daughter, which takes him to some of the seedier parts of the Florida Keys you'll ever see on film.
As is common in other noirs, just about everyone in this film is corrupt, even including Hackman's character himself, to a certain point. As noted by another reviewer, this movie will remind many of 'Chinatown'. In the end, just about everyone loses.
I have a copy of this on VHS, and I bought the DVD for the widescreen. I was impressed by the image quality of the DVD -- it's a little grainy, but overall, quite high quality. I don't think anyone's going to be very disappointed by the transfer, considering it's a mid '70s film. The only extras are some trailers, and a sort of short documentary on the director.
Hackman is terrific in this, as he is in most of his other films. He can play genial one moment, and a moment later play cynical and tough. It's too bad he didn't get another opportunity at another role like this. Unfortunately, they don't really make films like this anymore. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 15, 2005 | | Summary | Sly mystery isn't what it seems | Content
| Like "Chinatown" (the only contemporary mystery that I can compare it to), "Night Moves" has much more going on below the placid chilly surface of the water at the conclusion of the film than meets the eye.Ex-football player and private eye Harry (Gene Hackman)is hired to find the worldly daughter (Melaine Griffith in her second screen role at the tender age of 18)of a Hollywood socialite. Harry's wife (Susan Clark)feels ignored by her husband and resents his frequent absences and pursues an affair with another man complicating his placid existence. His pursuit of the girl opens up a pandora's box of murder, deceit and greed that he's completely unprepared for. Written by Alan Sharp, "Night Moves" incorporates elements from the novel "The Stunt Man" which director Arthur Penn was originally supposed to direct (he had to pull out to a prior commitment at the last minute)and features a number of marvelous suspenseful set pieces.
Well directed by Penn ("Little Big Man", "Bonnie & Clyde"), "Night Moves" is the same rancid world that Gittes faced in "Chinatown" only the players have changed but not the greed that drives those that commit the crimes. Hackman delivers one of his finest performances. Susan Clark and the rest of the supporting cast all turn in terrific performances adding to the gritty realism of the film.
I've seen a couple of complaints about how dark the video was for this film. Rest assured, "Night Moves" looks terrific. Warner has struck a brand new print of the film and given it the deluxe treatment. Colors are vibrant and bright throughout the film. There's no noticeable dirt or debris to mar the picture and only an occasional analog flaw that was on the original negative of the film. The film features the original vintage featurette produced to promote the film focusing on the moive "Night Moves" and director Arthur Penn's approach to film directing as well as the original theatrical trailer for the film. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 15, 2005 | | Summary | It's Your Move | Content
| I have followed the career of actor Gene Hackman, ever since I saw him play Lex Luthor in 1978's Superman The Movie, and consider him one of the best at what he does. As one of my favorites, I have seen just about every film he's been in, at least twice. Even if the material doesn't quite measure up, Hackman still manages to come away looking good...Aside from Superman, the 70's were replete with more great performances from him. One of the most underrated efforts of that time is Night Moves, a movie that boasts a noir flavor, recalling gumshoe mysteries of the 30's and 40's and showcasing Hackman's talented skill.
Harry Moseby (Hackman) decides to take a job as a private eye on a mission to find Delly Grastner (Melanie Griffith in her first film role), a Beverly Hills runaway, trying to escape the rotten home life provided by her ex-starlet mother Arlene (Janet Ward). As hard as Moseby tries to focus on the job at hand, he is emotionally distracted when he catches his wife Ellen (Susan Black) in an affair, and misses a few clues. When he finally tracks Delly to her ex-stepfather's charter plane service in the Florida Keys, he soon finds himself attracted to Paula (Jennifer Warren), an independent woman with a shady past. Is Paula there to help him or hurt him? Nothing is as it seems
Alan Sharp's screenplay crackles with one twist after another. Thus, allowing for an intricate story to play out in fine fashion, without getting bogged down by them. Hackman delivers the goods. Like "Popeye" Doyle from The French Connection, Harry is a complex character, that is made accessible, through Hackman's everyman quality as an actor. Director Arthur Penn, who had worked with Hackman before in 1968's Bonnie And Clyde, makes keeping track of the action look easy. Even though the look of film is very much a product of its time, it also somehow remains timeless. As Harry is drawn into this web, so are we...
The DVD includes a featurette entitled Day Of The Director. Like the film it supplements, it's a breezy old-fashioned promo movie detailing how Arthur Penn works. It has been noted elsewhere that he is a genius when working with his actors, yet this "strip" concentrates mostly on the action of the movie. To aviod any spoilers of the plot, you should avoid seeing this before watching the film though. The vintage trailer is the disc's only other extra. I wish there were more bonus material here.
Night Moves is yet another winner from the Hackman filmography. A must see **** and a half star effort.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 15, 2005 | | Summary | I STILL Don't Know What This Movie Is About!!!! | Content
| I first saw this movie 20 years ago and I didn't understand it back then. Perhaps it my wild reckles youth so I thought I would give it another chance a few days ago and I STILL don't understand this movie. It seems to be about a Private Eye played by Gene Hackman who hs an Anxiety Disorder and is trying to track down a young teenage runaway. The rest of the movie has as many turns and twists as a L.A. Freeway. I give this movie 5 stars because Susan Clarke apprears in it. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 05, 2004 | | Summary | smile because this a great flick | Content
| and michael ritchie's smile is melanie griffith's first flick. not as big a role as this one, but she has a few lines and a couple great scenes in the movie, including the final shot. so check out that flick and check out this flick, cuz the 70s and actors like gene hackman and bruce dern and directors like micheal ritchie and arthur penn RULE. |
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