Director: Arthur Penn
Screenplay: Alan Sharp
Producers: Robert M. Sherman
Starring: Gene Hackman, Susan Clark, Jennifer Warren, Melanie Griffith, James Woods
Year: 1975
Country: USA
BBFC Certification: 15
Duration: 99 mins
Gene Hackman’s death came as a shock. It shouldn’t have really, given that he was 95 and had been ill for some time, but aside from the tragic circumstances that also killed his 65 year old wife Betsy Arakawa, Hackman was an actor who my mind had somehow encased in amber. To me, he seemed old even when he was relatively young, which paradoxically imbued him with a sort of eternal youth which I’d fooled myself into believing could never be corrupted by the touch of death. On hearing of Hackman’s passing, I immediately resolved to watch one of his films in tribute and, just as I was trying to decide between a classic or one I’d never seen before, my review copy of Night Moves dropped through the door. This was the perfect compromise, a classic which I’d never seen before, a highly regarded film that has somehow slipped through the cracks when compared to its New Hollywood era contemporaries. The timely arrival of Criterion’s Night Moves release isn’t the only coincidence related to Hackman’s recent passing. In the weeks following his death, the deeply tragic circumstances fell into place as details of the investigation appeared little by little in the news cycles but rather than satisfying closure, discovering the full story only created more pain and sadness. This revelation that solving the mystery is not always rewarding is one of the central themes of this seminal Neo-Noir.
Directed by Arthur Penn, whose classic Bonnie and Clyde secured Hackman his first ever Oscar nomination, Night Moves was written by Scottish screenwriter Alan Sharp. Sharp had an impressive career but somehow has never quite received his due, with his script for the superior 90s swashbuckler Rob Roy overshadowed by the same year’s superficially similar Braveheart and his absolute gem of a family fantasy film, Dean Spanley, somehow sinking into obscurity rather than becoming the Sunday afternoon staple it should clearly be. Even Night Moves, an impeccably constructed script with astutely observed dialogue, remains a cult classic rather than being mentioned in the same breath as The Long Goodbye and Chinatown as it deserves. As a big fan of Noir, I was greatly looking forward to finally watching Night Moves and it did not disappoint, although its unusual structure and careful pacing does perhaps explain why it remains a hidden gem. This is a multi-faceted mystery in which the trail is rarely leading where you think it is and where the writer and director are more fascinated by the detective himself than the crime he’s investigating. Often when critics make this claim it is because the plot is so convoluted as to make focusing on the central character instead a necessity. Night Moves, however, manages to weave a complicated story around a multilayered set of characters and do justice to both.
Hackman plays Harry Moseby, a former professional footballer whose current work as a private investigator is placing a strain on his marriage. While dealing with a devastating revelation about his wife, Harry sets about tracking down the missing daughter of a former movie actress. Tracing her to the Florida Keys, Harry becomes temporarily embroiled in the lives of her stepfather and his girlfriend. The mystery seems to be solved relatively easily but an odd discovery hints that there is more to the case than meets the eye and Harry finds himself dragged into a darker world altogether.
Night Moves has a good cast, including early roles for Melanie Griffith and James Woods (the former appearing in some eyebrow raising nude scenes at the tender age of 16, a questionable filmmaking decision but entirely consistent with the grim and sleazy picture painted by Sharp’s screenplay). Hollywood veteran Edward Binns is great as Harry’s stunt coordinator pal Joey, while Susan Clark and Jennifer Warren enhance the sort of complex and well-written female roles that Noir sometimes lacks. But Night Moves is largely Hackman’s show and he turns in one of his most affecting performances. He makes Harry simultaneously difficult to like and easy to feel sympathy for. This is key in making the thoroughly surprising and resonantly bleak ending all the more effective. Harry’s personal emotional journey is so riveting that Night Moves could easily have been one of those films in which the plot peters out in an oblique way and the audience still goes away satisfied. Instead, Night Moves has one of the boldest conclusions I’ve ever seen, in which so many pieces fall into place at once in a way that recasts what you’ve just watched. The final shot is chillingly symbolic, underscoring the cynical 70s themes of chronic dissatisfaction and disillusionment.
I suspected I was going to love Night Moves just based on its reputation and I was correct, but the film that I got was not anything close to what I was expecting. This is a unique, cerebral and haunting take on Neo-Noir which deserves its place as a genre cornerstone, even if that achievement is only acknowledged by a select few. Hopefully this excellent new Criterion release, enhanced by a series of interviews and an informative commentary, will help increase that reputation.
Night Moves is released by Criterion on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on 28 April 2025. Special features are as follows:
* New audio commentary by Matthew Asprey Gear, author of Moseby Confidential
* New audio interview with actor Jennifer Warren
* Interview with director Arthur Penn from a 1975 episode of Cinema Showcase
* Interview with Penn from the 1995 documentary Arthur Penn: A Love Affair with Film
* The Day of the Director, a behind-the-scenes featurette
* Trailer
* English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
* PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris
* New cover by Greg Manchess
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