Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Cited by many critics as one of the best and most important American movies of the 1970s, Arthur Penn's Night Moves hasn't stood the test of time in terms of popularity. The legacy of the nouvelle vague in France had inspired a whole generation of American film-makers to try new things, and to subvert genres as much as the studios would allow them. This led to a re-emergence of the film noir, a genre stuck very much in the 1940s and 50s. With its chain-smoking, loose- skinned leading men and devilish, glamorous ladies, its tough demeanour is very much a product of the time. A couple of decades later, and filmmakers such as Roman Polanski, with Chinatown, and Robert Altman, with The Long Goodbye, found new ways to explore this dark world and its shady characters, and are widely remembered for it. But no film has been as successful at cutting to the heart of what drives these self- loathing deadbeats and the manipulating bombshells distracting them as Arthur Penn's Night Moves.Private investigator and former American football star Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) works freelance, preferring to gulp down coffees during long stakeouts on his own time than to be on the payroll of a larger agency. His wife Ellen (Susan Clark) tries to shake him out of his stubborn ways, but he's just an old-fashioned sort of guy. This lone wolf approach is in his blood, as after he turns down Ellen's invitation to the cinema, he monitors the situation anyway, discovering that his wife is having an affair in the process. Meanwhile, former actress Arlene Iverson (Janet Ward) hires Harry to track down her missing, promiscuous daughter Delly (Melanie Griffith). A conversation with mechanic Quentin (James Woods) leads Harry to a thrill-seeking movie stuntman, and then to the Florida Keys, where he discovers Delly hiding out with her stepfather Tom Iverson (John Crawford), and a striking woman named Paula (Jennifer Warren).As a straight-forward detective story, Night Moves will likely divide an audience. With its unhurried approach and eagerness to explore Harry's troubled home-life and self-destructive behaviour, the jarring tones may not suit everybody's tastes. Night Moves is much more about the character than the case he is on. The movie mainly succeeds in this balancing act because of the performance of Gene Hackman, an actor working at the very top of his game. In the 70s, he was part of a group of actors who rebelled against Hollywood gloss, and portrayed real people in real situations. Harry is ultimately a good-hearted guy, tragically failing to see the irony when he demonstrates his knowledge of 'check mate' moves in chess to Paula, with sight of own possible fate in the unravelling mystery. As the plot moves on and Harry finds himself caught up in far more than he had bargained for, the revelations become increasingly confusing. But I didn't care: It's the kind of convolution warmly embraced by the Coen Brothers in neo-noir The Big Lebowski. It isn't a masterpiece, but Night Moves deserves to be remembered as one of the most important American movies of its decade.

First class stinker way below the talents of Gene Hackman and the rest of the cast.The plot is not to be believed. How could any mother, even a drunken one, react to the death of her 16 year old daughter like that? Calling the deceased a bitch was way over-the-top. Seems as though nearly everyone in the film was either involved in the murder or caught up by the original murder which led to the death of the 16 year old.As the guy who fixes more than cars, James Woods turned in a decent performance. Susan Clark plays the detective's (Gene Hackman) wife who is neglected and falls into the arms of another man.The ending scene where practically gets it is totally unrealistic.

If you're a detective, you should know about the clues, and wrap it up. In "Night Moves", it's not that simple. Gene Haman plays Los Angeles detective Harry Moseby. A P.I. who was once a football player who is assigned to retrieve a runaway (Melanie Griffith)from Florida. A simple job to do, right? Wrong. While in Florida, more mysteries are uncovered which makes the daughter want to go back to her mother. Once that mission was done, he goes on to the next assignment. However, he's not happy about what he has done. After discovering the downed plane in Florida, and meeting the mechanic(James Woods) earlier. After returning Delly (Griffith) to her mom, she is killed in a stunt car accident. Moseby heads back to Florida, only to find the mechanic dead in the water. Paula(Jennifer Warren) who tends the dolphins, explained what is in the plane. She and Tom were dealing with artifacts. One of them is worth a lot of money. Manipulation seems to be the key of this. This movie is like playing a game of chess, which I don't mind playing. Talk about a mystery. A rare gem. Need to watch. A also a keeper. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Now and then, for a change, it is sensible to watch movies from the eras where acting and craftsmanship really prevailed, without any digital opportunities to use. Crime movies are "easier" to enjoy than sci-fi ones, where solutions are too simplistic even for those not focusing on effects and fast exchange of scenes - absence of smart mobile technology is seldom distracting, and basic elements for solving crimes have been in use for centuries. Night Moves has most elements in place - thrilling plot with twists, unexpected ending, witty humor, family tensions... True, there are some clichés related to private investigators and trivial use of erotics, but they do not decrease the value of the movie. What I missed personally was the lack of real confrontation between the detective and his "enemies", the characters of them were rather schematic.Most of the names within the movie do not require introduction even for current film lovers - Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Melanie Griffith, James Woods, whereas the last two give pleasant and memorable supporting performances. Hackman and Warren are always pleasant to follow, but they certainly give no best performances of their career.All in all, a decent watch for those fond of crimes without gangs and constant chases-shootings, where the truth is achieved piece by piece, and yet the final is surprising...