Review of Night Moves (1975) by Jack G — 05 Nov 2008

I'd say this, The Long Goodbye and Chinatown are the essential detective thrillers of the 1970s. And, in a sense, this might be in certain ways the most realistic when it comes to behavior- Altman might have one of the funniest, and Polanski's is a titan to contend with, but Penn makes the stakes at hand with this story very grounded in darker, uncertain corners than the others. Because it's about Harry Moselby and his marriage problems first (and such great scenes those are when he confronts his wife and her lover), the plot part of the case with super hot young Melanie Griffith a quasi-runaway with her step-father in the Keys isn't too far-fetched as far as character goes. It goes without saying it's another underrated triumph for Hackman too, in his prime era of The Conversation.

And in case you're wondering- yes, Penn can handle action, very well, and with one moment that surprised the hell out of me in that 'how did they do that' kind of way. It's no more or less bleak than the other two films I mentioned (maybe more-so bleak for its jaded heo), but it's also none the less exceptional.